Inside The Outsider
by JadeMontana83
Summary: "It's hard to feel beautiful or loved, when a world you live in is segregated because of the color of your skin. But when i met him, everything changed." - Diana. /A Dallas Winston Love Story\\
1. Chapter 1

Momma told me not to come here, but as usual I never listen. I hear what i want to hear," Blah Blah Blah Blah store Blah Blah Blah go. Ya hear me?" I nod my head even though i didn't understand a thing she said. In this case I wish i would have listened. Its hard being a negro, even worse as a negro girl. We get pushed around more than the boys do, and we can't do anything about. Its either: get pushed around and live or fight back and die.

I walked all the way down to this part of town, even though I shouldn't, but they have more things here than my neighborhood. I walked steadily to the convenient store with my head down and arms close by my side. I didn't want to draw any attention even though my existence on earth already does so. Finally I was at the store door; I wrapped my hand around the steel handle and pulled the door open. As it opened, a little bell rang lettin the owner know i was here. I slightly lifted my head and glanced at him in the corner of my eye. I've been here plenty of times, so he knows my face and I know his. I slightly grinned showing off my dimples, some how it lets people know i aint no hoodrat. I steadily paced towards the back of the store where all the sodas and snacks are. I carefully grabbed a coke, my favorite, and large hershey's chocolate bar. I walked to the counter and placed my items on top of it, as he rung up my items, we exchanged our usual glances. It was like we were having a conversation without words; none the less, it was better than being glared at, or heckled," 10 cents." I pulled out my coin purse from my school bag and dug around until i found a dime. I gently placed it into his hand and stuff my items into my bag. I gave him another friendly glance and walked out of the store; as i was puttin my coin purse back into my bag, i heard guys laughin and horsin around. I looked over towards the noise and bam, there they were, those greasy lookin guys that were nothin but trouble and usually thats all they gave me. As i was glancing, one of them caught me lookin and pointed right in my direction. DAMMIT!

I anxiously rushed to the bus stop, i stood there for a moment, it was silent. I relaxed a little since it seemed like they had gone away. " BOO!" One of them yelled right beside my ear. I jumped but i didn't scream, it was already enough that i jumped, screamin would really let them know i was afraid. Suddenly they all started to circle around me, i put my head down because i knew how their faces would be lookin, and i didn't want to see that," What you doin in this part of town, huh?" One of them questioned. I didn't bother answering, i just sayed silent and prayed that the bus would come soon. Abruptly, he snatched my jaw and forced my head up but i didn't look him in the eyes," Look at me," I ignored him which only pissed em off," Look at me nigga!" I winced in pain as he clenched my jaw tighter. I slowly scanned my surroundings and finally made it to his mischievous eyes. He deviously grinned at me as he chuckled with his friends quickly joinin in," You only listen when i call you by your name, eh" he released his hand from my jaw, immediately his other friends came onto me. They were trying to feel me up my skirt, and trying to put their disgustin alcoholic lips on me. I was honestly terrified, i don't want to be a rape victim or another careless murder victim. Suddenly one of them ran their hand through my hair, twirling a strand of it around his index finger. I turned to the stranger touching my hair with his greasy hand, and couldn't believe my eyes. It was the cute, good for nothing Dallas Winston. Hell, trouble was his middle name and thats all that came his way. I can tell he loved trouble and mayhem, he made black girls like me wish they were white. Guys like him only like those rough greasy white girls, that love to have a "good" time. A girl like me can only observe what they do, i don't have time to do that stuff, but that stuff has time for me.

I glared into Dallas' eyes; i always wondered why him and his friends pushed me around. Didn't them rich white boys give them enough trouble. Those rich boys are at the top of the food chain while these hoods and Negros are at the bottom. So why are they messin with me? I exited out of my thoughts to see Dallas still lookin at me but his expression wasnt devious anymore. It was like he was readin my mind or somethin; it seemed as if he came to his sense, he slowly released his hand from my hair and into his jacket pocket. I followed his every move, wonderin what he was up to next. I observed his tall body, he had on some black leather boots that were definitely worn out, slightly tight blue jeans with a black shirt nicely tucked into his pants. I admire his style, reminds me alot of James Dean, i bet he's a fan of him; lots of people are, they'd be surprised to know that i am. I finally worked my way up to his face again; my friends wouldn't think he was cute but i liked the way white boys looked, with those rosy cheeks and small pointy noses. I glanced into Dallas' eyes again, my body stiffened a bit, he was already gazin at me with those icy blue eyes.

Suddenly are gaze was broken by one of his friends tuggin at my bag," Aye whats in this thing, euh?" He pulled me closer to him, i huffed in frustration, i was tired of these fools messin with. He opened the flap of the bag, i slapped his hand away, but like a hard headed meddlin two year old, he opened it again and pulled out my little bible," Aye give that back." I demanded. The boy shared glances with his friends and chuckled," Try and get it." I crossed my arms together and glared at that boy; he waved the bible in my face teasin me, tryin to get me to give in and lose control. He continued to wave it in my face tauntin me until he rudely rubbed the bible in his crotch. I could feel the anger heat up in my body, i stomped over to the disrespectful runt and tried to snatch my bible away. Right before i could snatch the bible he would quickly move it away; he held it above his head and i stupidly angry enough to jump and try to get it. As i was dealin with that boy, some of the others came over and took my snacks from my bag. I stopped what i was doin and turned my attention to them," Give them back. I payed for them with my hard earned money!" They all stared and glared at me as if i was stupid, but quickly began to laugh. One of them popped open the cap of the coke, he put the bottle up to his lips and chugged the bottle away. As he did that he looked at me the whole time; he finally stopped at the middle. Still looking at me, he swished the coke in his mouth, i knew what he was goin to do next, he brought the bottle back to his mouth and spit the coke back into the bottle. He held out the bottle to me," Want it now?" Everyone laughed once again as i stood there blood boilin, there was nothin i could do but stand here angry. Suddenly one of the guys came up to me, he placed his body uncomfortably close to mine. He moved the hair that was coverin my face behind my ear," Dont worry baby, we'll show you a good time." He whispered in my ear as he firmly grabbed my butt and squeezed it tight.

Without a warnin, Dallas stomped over to the boy and snatched him away from me. I turned to see what he was doin but Dallas quickly pulled me away from the furious boys," What the hell dally!" One of the boys yelled at him. He gripped my arm tighter as he dragged me farther away from the bus stop to the right side of the store. We finally came to a stop and snatched my arm away from him," What is wrong with you!?" He rolled his eyes at me," Look, i just saved your ass, they would've raped ya !" He huffed agitatedly. I shrugged my shoulders," Its better than bein dead." I mumbled. He paused gettin ready to say somethin but stopped himself, he scratched the back of his neck and glanced at me," Can i buy you a coke?" I glared at him in disbelief, i placed my hands on my hips," No i dont want no coke from you. Matter of fact, why are you even talkin to me? Why dont you go find one of them greasy white girls to mess with. At least they like it." As i finished what i was sayin, the bus finally came around the block, before he could get ahold of me; I waved down the bus. It came to a stop and i quickly ran up the steps, i dropped the nickel into the coin box and rushed down the isle of the bus. I finally found an empty seat by the window, i glanced out of it, Dallas was still standing there as the bus took off.

Dally's POV

I was surprised that she turned down a coke from me, atleast i offered, i didnt have to get her anything. I pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a match, i placed it in my mouth and took a puff out of it. I needed this, now im gonna have Tim on my ass about what happened. Great. I took another puff and headed back towards the gang, when i came around the corner they were all furious," What the hell man! You stood up for that nigger!?" One of the guys yelled. I glanced at him and shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly. Suddenly Tim came rushing to me aggressively," You're a dead man! Curly did nothin to ya!" We glared at each other for a moment before my fist collided with his face. As he was on the ground tryin to re cooperate, i dug through his pockets and snatched up the girl's bible. As i put it into my inside jacket pocket, Tim took his chance and punched me in the face. From then on, we kept going back and forth; everyone was tryin to break us up until we heard a man come out of the corner store," Aye! you hoodlums need to take that somewhere else!...Now!" He pulled out his shotgun and everyone instantly got up and ran. I ran separate from them, and went towards the Curtis' house. As i was walkin on my own, i couldnt help but think about that girl.


	2. Chapter 2

Normal POV

"I think Sam likes Diana." Clarice joked with Cheryl and Lisa as we walled down the sidewalk to this diner east of our neighborhood. I shook my head in disbelief," Nooo he likes you. That boy is crazy bout you." I lightly elbowed her arm to tease her," Even if he did like you Diana, you wouldnt even botha with em. You like them white boys." We all laughed,but deep down it was true, Im a big fan of Elvis, most people are. I also love James Dean he was very handsome and a great actor. I don't know, ive always been fond of white boys even if they dont like me. A girl can always dream,"Diana is basically a white girl, all we gotta do is put a blonde wig on her head and call'a Becky." Clarice is always teasin me, but they're always funny. We all laughed again as we approached the diner, before we offically went in we read the sign on the right"White and Colored" with that we entered the diner.

As we walked in there, there was a blonde girl workin at the counter, as she greeted us her attention was on the cash register," Hi welcome to Billy's Diner-" as she looked up from the register, all the greet fullness in her body was replaced with hatred. She glared at the four of us," What yall doin in here?" We all looked at each other as if it was normal for us to be in here," We just came in here to get somethin to eat." Clarice answered. The girl's expression stayed the same," Dont yall have food in ya own neighborhood?" We all calmly stood there trying not to attract attention," Yes, but they're closed at this time-" "Why!" The girl interrupted my explanation," Because negroes have lives too!" Clarice budded in with the same attitude as the girl," Well we dont serve your kind here." " The sign outside says you do!" Clarice clarified again. Suddenly a family on the right side of the diner began to get up from their table, as i scanned the area, that no good Dallas winston was there sittin at a table with some guys, that i believe are his friends. Surprisingly not the guys from the store but some more greasy lookin guys. As i came back to my senses, Dallas was gazin at me, surprised that i was here. I immediately turned back to our problem," If yall dont leave, imma get my boss." The girl threatened but it didnt phase me and Clarice one bit," Go ahead, bring em out here!" Clarice agreed. The girl quickly yelled for her boss. We waited for a moment, as the people in the restaurant attention was on us, includin Dallas and his friends. Suddenly a tall heavy set man came out from the doors of the kitchen, he wobbled his way to the counter and instantly tensed up when he saw us," We dont serve yall niggas." " Well maybe yall need to get a new sign!" Clarice yelled," Yeah, thats false advertisin." I finished in. He glanced at the girl and back at us," Yall need to leave." " Why, we are willin enough to spend our hard earned money on yall!" I protested. Suddenly the man lost his patience with us and pulled out his double barrel shotgun and point it right at my head. Through out the diner we heard gasps from people, i could hear Cheryl and Lisa gulp, they started to breathe heavily, they slowly backed away from us. Clarice stood by my side as he kept the gun aimed at me," Now i suggest yall niggas leave." I wanted to leave, but i had to stand my ground, all we wanted was food not to cause trouble. My heart was racing cause what i was about to do could end up with me dying right here. I stood up straight and looked the man in the eye stiffly," Shoot me." As the words escaped my mouth the people in the diner gasped once again includin Cheryl a d Lisa. The boss and the girl were tookin by surprise. I shook my head sorrowfully," Please shoot me. I rather be dead than live in a world like this." I looked the man in the eyes with all the emotion in my body, cause it was true, i wanted to be dead, i dont like livin like this. No one would want to live like this," Here, i'll give you a clear shot." I turned my body so it was facing where Dallas was sitting, him his friends were tuned in on what i was doin, each of them shared worried looks. I glanced over at the man and back at Dallas, i tapped on my temple, signaling the man to shoot me in that spot," Come on, shoot me." I closed my eyes shut waiting for a short pain to come, but it didnt. I opened my eyes and glanced over at the man, his expression was full of guiltiness.

Surprisingly he retrieved the gun slowly and put it back under the counter," Linda, get them seated and serve em whatever they want." He blankly stated as went back into the kitchen. Everyone, including me was surprised that happened; i was sure i was gonna be a goner. Linda came from behind the counter and looked me up and down. Cheryl and Lisa came back to me and Clarice as we followed Linda to the table, it was close by Dallas' table. As we approached the table Cheryl and Lisa sat by the wall while me Clarice sat on the outside. As we got settled i noticed a jukebox,"Ooo they got a jukebox." I cheered to them," We dont have yall kind of music." Linda exclaimed with an attitude, still not gettin with the program," Yall dont have no Elvis? No Beatles?" I playfully questioned," No we have them." She reassured as she took our orders. When Linda went back to the kitchen, I got up and walked to the jukebox. I placed my quarter in and searched through the songs, suddenly i felt someone beside me. I glanced at the corner of my eye and rolled my eyes,"What are you doing?" "The question is, what are you doing? You don't know what you're looking for." Dallas stated. "I'm looking for Elvis…" I finally found the song I was looking for and pressed the button,"Found it." I swirled around and walked back to my table and sat down. Dallas stood at the jukebox for a quick second before turning and glancing at me, I glanced back and smirked. He quickly turned away and sat back down with his friends.

"Diana Robinson don't you ever do that again." Lisa exclaimed. I looked her direction and raised my eyebrow,"Do what?" "Have a gun pulled on you." "Yeah, next time you might run into the wrong person and they won't hesitate to shoot you." Cheryl budded in. I shrugged my shoulders," You gotta stand up for your right. Hell, they treat dogs better than us, and that's not fair." "But they're a whole different species." Lisa stated. "Exactly, we are the same species as white people and they treat us worse than any other species." Clarice explained. We all stayed silent, just collecting all of our thoughts and emotions," Do you guys think things will ever change?" Lisa questioned, her face full of hopelessness. All of us glanced at each other, no hope in either of our eyes," In order for things to change, we have to stand up for what's right." I explained. They nodded their heads, right then our food came," Thank you Linda." The girl gave me a noticeable fake smile and stormed off. We all laughed and dug into our meal.

While me and my friends were eating and having a good time, I could feel someone's eyes on me. I glanced over at Dallas, and there he was again just gazin' at me. Suddenly his friends caught him gazing, asking who was he starin' at. He lied and told them he was lookin' at the waitress, Linda, but me and him knew he was lookin' at me.I don't know why, but he was, i just don't understand. "Ugh I have to go to the bathroom.' Lisa exclaimed." Ugh me too." Cheryl stated "Me three." Clarice finished. "So I have to be the one that stays behind and watch everything?" I asked sarcastically. They all nodded their head and got out of the booth. As they went to the restroom, I just sat there playing with my fingers. Suddenly Dallas and his friends got up from their table and walked by my table about to exit the diner. Dallas followed behind, he glanced at me and threw a folded napkin in my lap and followed his friends out the door. I quickly opened the napkin before the girls come back, the handwriting was awful but i still managed to read it," Meet me at the trail by the little park in the North side at 8." Before i my friends came back, i stuffed the note into my bag and sat there casually. As I sat there, i couldn't help but think the worst of me going there. he could jump me or rape me, or not be there at all. I have no problem sneakin out, i've done plenty times before to go to parties but it's crazy. A white boy is actually acknowledgin me in a good way kinda. I erased my thoughts as my friends came back to the table.

It was 7:30, I did my usual sneaking out routine: blankets bundle up like my body, wig as my head. I unlocked my window, opened it and climbed out. I silently shut it and ran away from my house until it was out of distance. I walked cautiously to the trail, keeping my eye out for anyone. As i finally got to the trail, i traced the place with my eyes, not seeing a soul. I checked my watch, it was exactly 8 o' clock, as I stopped glancing at my watch, a pair of hands squeezed my arms," Boo!" I quickly jumped and spun around to the threat. My body relaxed until it tensed up again, i pushed Dallas away from me as I glared at him," You almost gave me a heart attack." He deviously laughed and smirked," Don't get your panties in a wad, I was just playing around." I rolled my eyes and shifted my weight to one leg with my hands on my hips," Is this what you brought me out here for? Huh? To play around, cause I don't have time for this, I could be in my bed right now asleep and warm." I started to walk away until he grabbed my arm and turned me back to him as he placed his hungry lips to mine. My eyes grew big, I tried to push him off me but he wasn't fazed by it. Suddenly I got this tingling sensation in my body, he released his lips from mine and gazed into my eyes. I don't know what came over me but i brought him back down to my lips as we kissed again.

I slightly pushed him away from me," I knew you wanted me. Diana Robinson." I looked at him surprised," How'd you know my name." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly," I heard you and you're friends talking…Oh that reminds me." He turned his attention away from me and started diggin in his pockets, he finally pulled out a small bible. He handed it over to me, i was getting ready to take it until i pushed it back to him. He raised his eyebrow," You need it more than I do Dallas." He hesitantly put the bible back in his jacket pocket and grabbed a cigarette. He was about to light it until i grabbed his hand," Not around me." He brought the match back to the cigarette and I swatted his hand again," I'm serious, not around me." He glared at me for a quick second and put his cigarette away," You're lucky i like you." My eyes grew big again as i placed my hand on my heart," You like me?" He rolled his eyes and slightly turned his body away from me," I'm not saying it again." he muttered. I slightly smiled and held on to his arm comfortably. "Why do you like me anyways?" he glared down at me and turned back again," Does it matter?" I slightly loosened my grip from his arm feeling a bit rejected from his cold tone. I cleared my throat," Guess not." I released my grip from his arm and put my hands in my jacket pocket. Being this close with a white guy is so intimidating that it's scary. It was quiet for awhile until Dallas spoke up," Why are you all quiet all of a sudden?" I glanced at him," Does it matter?" I asked sarcastically with his same tone from earlier. He glanced down at me with a smirk on his face and wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to his body," We're gonna get along just fine, doll."

Meeting Dallas at the trail became a normal routine. It was usually the same deal; we would just sit around and talk, or we would cuddle in each others arms. We weren't officially together, but I knew he was mine, and he always showed it. During the day I would see him in town with his friends, we never hang out during the day because he says its too complicated for us to do that. I have no problem being seen in public with him, being judged and heckled is a common thing for me, but Dallas hates it. He sees people everyday heckling me, i know he wants to come and save me, i can see it in his eyes. He tells me that i need to stop coming to town and stay in my neighborhood so i can be safe, but doing that won't change anything.

Matter of fact, i'm right across the street from where he's standin'. I'm right in front of this diner that says it's famous for their pies. Clarice is in there right now trying to figure that out. I stood there patiently and anxiously for her to come out in one piece. As I stood there, Dally still didn't notice my presence, i was glad he didn't, he would be so mad. Suddenly Clarice came running out with a pie in her hand," Diana run!" i stayed still," Clarice what did you d-" BOOM! I ducked and covered my head and followed Clarice, almost gettin' ran over by passin cars," Y'ALL NIGGAS BETTA STAY AWAY FROM ERE!" Clarice and i finally got across the street out of breath. Everyone around us was shocked, especially Dally. I glanced over at him and he was furious, i ignored him and turned to Clarice. She took a bite out the pie and immediately spit out," this pie tastes like shit," She abruptly threw the pie towards the building," famous pies my ass!" The person with the gun came towards the door and flinched towards us, Clarice and I laughed and ran away," Clarice you're crazy! You could've gotten us killed over them nasty pies!" she shrugged her shoulders playfully," It was fun, and can't deny that." i smiled and shook my head.

As we got to our destinations, me and Clarice went our separate ways. As i kept walking, someone grabbed my arm and spun me around," Are you out of your mind?" I glared at the figure before me," Dally you are not my dad, stop treatin me like i'm ya child." he rolled his eyes," maybe if you'd stop actin like one, i wouldn't have to." he spat. I glared at him as he glared at me, i snatched my arm from his tight grip," Forget you Dally." I turned back around and stormed off," I'm not gonna chase after ya, if that's what you're thinkin." "I don't want you to." I kept walking," Fine, go ahead, i dont need ya." Dally yelled as i continued to walk. My intensions were to go home but i was too fired up to do that. So i kept walking not knowing where i was going. I couldn't get that comment out of my head 'I don't need you.' I can see right through Dallas, he thinks I can't but i can. He might not need me but he surely wants me. if he didn't want me, he wouldn't have noticed me at all. I hate how Dallas acts, like he doesn't care about anyone,but he does I can see it. He tries to put up this tough wall to hide his feelings, but I can see it. That's how my people act, i see it everyday. Hell, that's how I act sometimes. Finally, I calmed down and went back home. As i entered the door, i saw my family all sittin around the table," Diana!" I looked at the person callin my name; he was tall, light-skinned with curly textured hair. He had my dad's same almond shaped eyes, and my mother's nose. His beard was slightly scruffy like he had been workin hard," TJ!" I ran up to him and hugged him tight," I missed ya TJ." "How's my sister been doin?" I looked into his eyes," Missin her big brother."

I was surprised that my big brother came back, he left two years ago before we moved here from Alabama months ago. It was just me, my little sister Olivia, my youngest brother Henry, and of course Mom and Dad.

As we all were eatin dinner, TJ was tellin us about his experience in the army like: The people he met, the training, almost dying. I couldn't imagine them army people knockin on our door tellin us that he had die. It would break all of us apart. He also told us that he had bought a house close to our's, i'm glad he doesn't live far. As we were sitting at the table, it felt like the old days, just talking and enjoying each others company like a family should. We sit around with smiles on our faces knowin damn well we are sick of the lives we live.

It was gettin late so TJ went home, and everyone else got ready for bed. Thats when i took my chance to sneak out; i did my usual routine and headed towards the trail.

As i was walking, i had my head down the whole time. When i finally made it, i slowly lifted my head only to discover that Dally was here smokin a cigarette. When he noticed me, he immediately put the cig out and stared at me," What are you doing here?" I questioned with an attitude. He shrugged his shoulders smugly,"I could ask you the same thing sweetheart." For a moment we just kept starring at each other immensely," Why you keep lookin at me?" Dallas glared at me even more," Cause you keep lookin at me." I put my hand on my hip and glared at him even more," i wouldn't be lookin at ya if you'd stop lookin at me." Dally continued to glare and marched closer to me. We were now face to face," Take a picture, it'll last longer." I commented sarcastically. Dallas didnt respond this time but continued to look at me, i did the same but i really looked into his eyes. His beautiful blue eyes, he's so cold hearted but those eyes are so soft and baby-like. As i was lost in his eyes, a pair of lips came crashing down on mine. I instantly cupped his cheeks in my hands while he gripped my hips and pulled me into him. As the kiss deepened, his hands trailed down to my butt and he squeezed it tightly as he lifted me up and wrapped my legs around his torso. He smirked in satisfaction as he lightly gnawed on my bottom lip," Dally what are we doing?" I gasped. " What does it look like?" He asked sarcastically as he left trails of kisses down my neck," Dally stop. I have to go home." "Just come home with me." He mumbled against my neck. " I can't, its a school night Dally." He paused and rolled his eyes," I'm walking you home." He commanded. He set me down gently and we started walking. While we were walking, he kept his distance from me, he doesn't like that lovey dovey stuff that you see in the movies, with the holding hands and cuddling 24/7. So just to piss him off, i came over to him and held onto his arm. I glanced up at him and he continued to walk with no reaction to it.

We kept walking in silence until i broke it," Dally?" "Yeah?" "Why are we doing this?," he opened his mouth to say something but i interrupted," and don't say it doesnt matter because it does." He glanced down at me and huffed," Because i like you," " Why me?" Suddenly he stopped walking and i followed his lead, he turned towards me," Because you're different. Everything about you is different and i like it. Now could ya stop askin that damn question." He stuffed his hands in his jean pockets and walked on. I stood there for a second processing what he said," Ya comin or not Doll?" I snapped out of my thoughts and caught up to him.

When we were gettin close to my house i started to sing 'Suspicion'," Every time you kiss me, i'm still not certain that you love me. Every time you hold me i'm still not certain that you care. All you keep on sayin is that you really really love me. Do you speak the same words to someone else when i'm not there," suddenly Dally sung with me," Suspicion torments my heart, Suspicion keeps us apart. Why torture me." Suddenly my singin was replaced with laughter," You really do like Elvis." He said in realization. "I adore him."

Finally we got to my window of the house, before i climbed in, Dally grabbed my arm and pulled me into a big embrace. We held onto each other for good while until i pulled away," See ya later Dally." I said in a hush tone. He quickly pecked my lips," See ya Doll." I smiled and climbed into my bedroom and lightly shut my window. When i looked out, Dally had already gone.

I took off my shoes and slid into bed.


	3. Chapter 3

"Diana, time to get up!" my mom yelled from the kitchen. I groggily opened my eyes and stretched my limbs. I removed the covers from my body and sat up on the bed, i stretched my arms above my head again when all of a sudden my mom swung the door open," Diana get-!" she calmly smiled,"Oh you're finally up for once, usually I'd have to shake ya just to get you outta bed." I nodded my head, not paying attention to a thing she just said,

" Diana! are you even listenin? Imma say this one more time, I want you to pick up Olivia and Henry from school today, me and ya daddy have to work late tonight. Ya hear me?" I tiredly nodded my head, rubbing the sleep from my eyes in the process. She stepped away from the door and lightly closed it.

As she left, I put a Etta James record on my record player and got ready for school. As the music played, I danced around the room going through my drawers and closet tryin to find an outfit to wear. I took a shower and got dressed in a knee length, short sleeved, forest green dress. I slipped on my pantyhose and my black church heels. I brushed my straightened hair and put it in a ponytail. I grabbed my brown satchel with my school stuff in it and headed into the kitchen. I sat in my seat next to daddy," Diana, don't be tryin to go to that store in the white neighborhood. I don't wanna hear on the news about three lil black kids dead." Daddy demanded. " I know daddy, i won't." he took a sip of his juice while studying my actions, as if he knew i was lyin. Momma placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of me and i immediately dug in.

When i finished my breakfast, i brushed my teeth and darted out the door to meet Clarice. As I approached her house, she was already outside sittin on the porch waiting for me," You finally came, I was startin to think you got kidnapped or somethin." I glanced at her with a straight face," Clarice, shut up. You know you don't care about me." she gasped and lightly hit my arm," I do care about you, Diana Robinson." We both tried to keep a straight face but couldn't hold in the laughter. And with that we headed to school.

Dally's POV

"Now scram you little punks before i give ya something else to cry about!" I stuffed the little cash that i got from the punks into my pocket and waited by The Dingo for Johnny and Pony. I took out a cigarette from my pocket and lit it." Hey Dally" "Hey man." Johnny and Pony greeted. I nodded my headed as i took a puff out the cigarette. "Pony and I were thinkin about hang in out at the lot." Johnny stated questionably. I glanced at him and nodded my head in approval," Sure, I just gotta go to that store and get a few things." I turned around and headed to the store with them on my heels.

Mean while we were walking a couple of broads would pass us. Strangely, i didn't look at em, not one little glimpse. Pony and Johnny seemed to notice," You okay Dal?" "Yeah man, why wouldn't I?" Johnny shrugged his shoulders," You ain't payin them girls any mind." I took a puff out the cigarette," They ain't nothin special." I faintly heard a little chuckle from Pony," Why you laughin kid?" "You seein someone Dally?" I took a quick look at em," Naw, just don't wanna waste my time with these sleazy broads."

Eventually we got to the store, before i walked in I flicked my cigarette away and waltzed right in. The little bell rung which alerted the clerk, he shot me a glare and i did the same. My attention was caught off guard when i heard a little girl's voice," D, can i get a chocolate bar pleeease?" Kids are so annoying always beggin for stuff," Ugh, alright, how much is it?" I recognized that sweet voice, i followed the sound which was in the snack isle. I steadily walked to it, purposely acting like i was searchin for snack," Henry you want anything-" her voice trailed when she finally noticed me. Her chocolate eyes beamed into mine as the boy spoke to her," No, i'm fine." She detached herself from my presence and placed her hand on top of the boys curly black head of hair," Diana that guy keeps lookin at you." The little girl whispered. Diana gathered the kids and guided them towards the check out counter, before she followed them she gave me one last peep over her shoulder.

My eyes grazed her beautiful figure, as her hips swayed showing off her lovely curves. I wanted to caress her soft fawn brown skin, i wanted to kiss her coral lips, i wanted to be with her at this moment but, i can't risk it. If people found out we were together, they'll hurt us, i don't care about me ,but if they put one hand on her i'd kill em for sure. I hate pretending like i don't know her, who wouldn't want to know that tough little angel.

I broke away from my thoughts and shoved the stuff i stole into my jacket pocket. Diana was still at the counter about to pay when i budded in," I'll pay for it." Diana questionably glared at me," You don't have to do that..sir." i pulled out the money from earlier," I got it, mam." I shooed her away as i gave the man the money. I marched out the store before Diana could catch up with me and met up with Pony and Johnny," Aye thats that colored girl from the diner." I glared at Pony," Yeah so?" He shook his head," Nothin let's go."

Normal POV

Henry held my hand while Olivia skipped ahead of us," Hey Diana, do you know that guy who was looking at you." I tensed up a little not wantin to discuss anything about Dally with anyone, let alone my little sister," No I don't." "Do you want to?" I rolled my eyes," Noo." she gawked at my answer," Why not, he paid for our stuff and he was kinda cute." I shook my head and laughed," Okay, you need go after boys your age Liv." " I don't want him, but i think he liked you D. You should've seen the way he looked at you. Like love at first sight, you know, the kinda stuff you see in movies. Sooo romantic." She cupped her hands together and placed it on her heart and spun around.

I couldn't imagine Dally looking at me like that or anyone for a matter of fact. But thats why i like Dally so much, he's just full of surprises, you never know what that boys gonna do.


	4. Chapter 4

"Dally we should go to the fair. It'll be fun." He glanced down at me with a grim face," Fun? How is paying to go on stupid rides fun when you can ride me for free." My smile quickly faded away and i mugged him with evil eyes," Dallas. No, thats not fun." "What!? Don't knock it till you try it baby." I rolled my eyes and folded my arms together. I sat there stiff as a stone agitated with Dally. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and reached over to try and kiss me but i dodged every encounter. He started to rock me side to side," Come on, we'll go somewhere just..not there. When were you gonna go there anyway?" "Tomorrow." I said sternly as i stood up from the grass and started walkin back home," Aye where ya goin?" Dally asked as he quickly caught up with me," What it look like?" Dally gently shook me," Come on. Don't be mad alright. We can go to the movies or somethin and see that movie with the girl and that g-" I froze in place and poked Dally in the chest harshly," I don't want to see no stupid movie with that same white couple from every movie. All i wanted was to do something different with you Dally but clearly you're too cool for fairs." I stormed off again until he gripped my arm,"Come on-" I ripped my arm from his grip," Whatever Dally, you ain't nothin but a kid tryna hide." I shooed him away as I stalked back home.

I slipped my legs through my beige plaid pants and fastened the button that stopped above my belly button. I threw on my white short sleeved top that stopped at the hem of my pants. I pulled on my black flat shoes and grabbed my gray sweater and purse on my way out the door. I jogged to Clarice's house, where everyone was meetin up at. Like usual everyone was waitin on me," No wonder you late, you had to tame that wild hair of yours." Clarice greeted. I brushed my hand through my curly hair," Shut up." I smiled while Cheryl, Lisa and Clarice laughed," Are we just gonna stand here and look at each other or go to the fair?" Cheryl stated sarcastically. We all walked to the bus stop and sat not he bench until the bus came and picked us up. We all dropped a nickel into the coin machine and sat in the middle seats of the bus.

" Maybe we'll find some cute guys there." Lisa chimed. "Of course we'll find some guys. Four hot chocolate girls single and ready to mingle." Clarice boomed confidently. They all bursted out laughing causin people to glare at us. I shook my head and stared out the window. We finally made it to our stop and we all got off. We stayed close together as we approached the entrance of the fair. One by one, we bought tickets for ourselves, I stuffed mine into my purse and followed my friends," Lets go on that ride where it feels like you're stuck on the wall." Clarice insisted," You mean the rotor?" Lisa corrected," Whateva yes." When we were walking to the rotor ride, I noticed that no one gave us mean glares or heckled us. It was like everyone was just focused on having fun and winnin prizes. It felt weird since I'm so use to being discriminated, but it was nice for once. We gave the man a ticket each and got into the rotor.

We all held each others hands as we picked a spot to stand in. More people came in, mostly white people, and they immediately noticed us. Sneerin their noses at us as if we were disgustin. Clarice and them didn't notice or care, so i did as they did and ignored the people. Suddenly, the ride started to spin slowly, amplifying each second. I could feel my body being forced down onto the wall, i forced my head to turn to Clarice, when i was half way there my head slammed onto the wall. Clarice laughed and i joined her.

The ride ended, and we went to the next one. We all hopped onto the scary house ride. Lisa sat beside me, while Clarice and Cheryl sat behind us. In front of me and Lisa were a couple. I frowned a little, wishing it could be me and Dallas doin that," Diana you scared?" Lisa elbowed me," No, i aint scared, are you scared?" She shook her head confidently. The ride began to move at a moderate pace, the inside was dark, but there were flashin lights all around us. I jumped when i heard a scream, cursin myself because it was the girl in front of us being spooked by dracula. As the ride progressed, all i kept hearing was the girl screamin bloody murder. I wasn't spooked by anything they had, not the dead people, the skeletons, the ghost, not even the screechin of birds from that stupid movie, The Birds. towards the end of the ride i was kinda disappointed that nothin frightened me until a hairy hand grabbed my upper arm. I shrieked in fear as a hairy looking wolf man growled at me. The man let me go and the ride finally ended.

The whole night, my friends and I went to mostly every ride even the kid ones. "Let's go get some cotton candy." Clarice suggested. They walked on but i stayed behind, Clarice turned around," You comin D?" I shook my head and grinned at her," No i'm gonna go to the House of mirrors, i'll meet ya'll back here." "Okay, don't get lost now." I steadily walked to the house of mirrors and gave the guy a ticket.

I carefully strolled through the house of mirrors, tryin not to bump into the mirrors. i placed my hands on either side of the mirrors and kept walking, pattin them to find the right path. I slowly took small steps, glancin every now and then at my reflection. I shortly got stuck in a dead end, I took a glimpse of my reflection again and studied my face. I stared into my brown eyes, wishin they were bright and blue, i touched my mocha skin wishin it was a peach color. I wanted to be a blonde bombshell like Marilyn so Dally could show me off to everyone, to his friends, to jealous girls, to anyone. My eyes trailed to my wild curly hair when I noticed someone in the mirror standing behind me. My body tensed up, ready to fight when i recognized the figure. I slowly turned towards him as crept up to me,"Dally, what you doin here?" he grabbed my hip with one hand and cupped my cheek in the other," What does it look like Diana?" I looked away from him," I thought you said you didn't like fairs." " I don't. But i like you."

His hand that was cupping my cheek trailed up to my hair and he combed his fingers through it," This your real hair?" my eyebrows furrowed," Yeah, why?" He glanced at me and back at hair," I like it." he twirled a piece of my hair around his finger and looked down at me. His eyes endured my body,"You finally where pants for a change." He grabbed my hand and twirled me around slowly, checkin out my body," So sexy." I tried to be smug towards him but i couldn't resist his mischievous smile. Suddenly he brought his face down to mine and kissed me passionately. I placed my hands on his chest as he firmly gripped my hips. My hands inching their way up, i stood on my tippy toes as i wrapped my arms around his neck. Suddenly he hugged my body tight and picked me up. I broke the kiss, gasping for air as i gazed into his eyes," I love you Dallas."

When i told Dallas i loved him, i immediately panicked and got out of his grip and carelessly ran out of the house of mirrors. I rushed over to my friends who were still munch in on their cotton candy," Diana calm down girl, did ya see a ghost?" Clarice joked, i panted," I gotta go, i'll see ya'll tomorrow." I didn't bother hearin what they had to say, i just rushed home tryin to get away from Dally who wasn't even followin me but my mind thought so. I finally made it home, my family was sitting around the dining table playin a board game," Hey Diana, did ya have fun?" Momma asked cheerfully. I nodded my head and smiled," Yeah it was fun. I'm goin to bed. Goodnight." they all said goodnight and i went into my bedroom and closed the door shut.

I took off my shoes and laid down on my bed. i stared at the ceiling, worryin about what happened. How could i be so stupid. I only known that boy for a month and a couple of weeks and i told him i loved him. i know he doesn't feel the same, i'm probably just another one of his 'broads' that he messes around with. Why would he love me anyway, i'm just a lonely colored girl cryin for attention to him. I blinked away the stray tears in my eyes," I'm so stupid, stupid. stupid." i covered my eyes with my hands and cried myself to sleep.

"Diana..Diana." i could feel someone hovering over me, shaking me lightly. I drowsily lifted my head from my pillow and opened my dry eyes," Dally? Why you here?" I hesitantly raised up my body to face him, he sat down on the bed and held my hand in his," What the hell happened earlier?" his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I nervously bit my bottom lip, not wanting to tell him what happened. he might think i'm naive or just plain stupid. I built up some courage and sighed defeatedly," I-I uh panicked." "Why?Did i do something?" i shook my head," No. I told you i loved you. And i don't think you feel the same." I could feel the tears welling up, ready to spill again," What? Of course I feel the same," Dally wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me onto his lap. He placed a kiss on my cheek then buried his face into the crook of my neck," I'm crazy about ya, Doll." He planted kisses all over my neck causing me to laugh quietly," How'd you get into my window?" He stared at me questionably and smirked," I'm Dallas Winston. I can do anything."

Dally rolled to the other side of my bed and laid beside me. His hand grazed my hip, which made my skin tingle. I gazed into his cold loving eyes as i caressed his cheekbone," My sister said you were cute." He raised his eyebrow and smiled," I am pretty cute aren't I?" i shot him a straight glare," Don't flatter ya self Dally," i grinned and traced his facial features," But you are pretty cute though." He chuckled under his breath so my family couldn't hear us while they were sleepin. We laid there in a comfortable silence until Dally spoke," Since you ask me this all the time, why did you choose me D? Huh? Why do you love me?" My eyes widened at the question, kinda stunned that 'he' would ask such a question," Uh you're cute for one thing, surprisingly kind when you want to be," He stayed intrigued in what i had to say," You're toughness is a bitter sweet thing; I like it because you have to be tough to survive but i hate it because it's not good to hold in all of your feelings, it makes people crazy and mean…But overall i love you because ya different." I reached over and kissed him on the lips.


	5. Chapter 5

"Diana, i'm tired of being single. I bet you are too." Clarice complained. I nodded my head, kind of feelin bad for lyin to my best friend. We usually tell everything to each other, but i considered what Dally had to say about keepin everything a secret. We kept walking down the sidewalk, heading to the ice cream parlor," Whatever happened to Sam?" She rolled her eyes and laughed," Giirrl that boy was too soft, it felt like I was the guy in the relationship. I'd be better off datin you than him." I bursted out laughing. I didn't know Sam was such a softy," Shoo, i want a real hard working man who knows how to treat a good lookin lady…Mmmm like him," She pointed to a tall light skinned built guy, i squinted my eyes realizin that it was my brother TJ," Oh no, no, no that's my brother." Her jaw dropped but quickly formed into a wide grin," Well i guess we're gonna be sisters." I glanced at her and back at my brother," He is too old for you Clarice." she rolled her eyes," I'm 17, i'll be 18 in a couple of months. So THAT doesn't matter. What you should be worryin about is the made of honor dress you gonna be wearin at our weddin."

Suddenly my brother approached us, i immediately ran into his open arms and he spun me around. His prickly beard tickled my face as he pecked my cheek," What you doin out here Diana?" "I came to get some ice cream with my friend," I pointed behind me at Clarice. He peeped over me and smiled at her, Clarice shoved me out the way and reached her hand out to him," Hi, I'm Clarice." He instantly took her hand," Clarice. It's nice to meet ya, I'm Terrance but you can call me TJ." Their hands never released, they stared at each other for a while until I cleared my throat," Uh are we still getting ice cream?" TJ released his hand from Clarice's and looked at me," Mind if i join ya?" Clarice quickly answered before i did," No we don't mind." TJ gave her one of his award winnin smiles and we walked on to the ice cream parlor.

Is this how it feels to be a third wheel, Clarice and TJ haven't noticed me at all. We sat at a table, Clarice and TJ sat next to each other as i sat across from them alone. I dug into my vanilla ice cream with oreos and sprinkles, wishin Dallas was here with me. Who knew my brother and my best friend would be together or maybe I should've seen it comin. I scanned the parlor, not wantin to watch my brother flirt with my friend," Diana. Diana?," i blinked my eyes rapidly and faced Clarice," What you day dreamin about girl?" I shook my head," Nothin what's wrong?" She glanced cheerfully at TJ then back at me," Me and Terrance were thinkin we should go on a double date." My eyes widened," Uh no thank you." "Come on D. We were thinkin you can take Michael Livingston from gym class." Clarice insisted well more like begged. I looked at TJ with a 'are you serious' face, he shrugged his shoulders," Clarice I'm fine, yall go ahead and have fun." I gave her a genuine smile so she wouldn't think I was sad or lonely, cause I'm not. I'm actually really happy for her and my brother, they both deserve somebody great.

After eatin ice cream, i heard TJ ask for Clarice's number, he gave a hug and went on back to what he was doin before he saw us. Clarice was too excited, she never shut up about it when we walked back home. She kept beggin me to go on a double date with her, but i turned her down even though i didn't want to. When i got home, I watched whatever was on tv until dinner time. After dinner, I went into my bedroom and read To Kill A Mocking Bird, my favorite book, and waited til everyone was sleep so i could sneak out. I checked my watch and did my normal routine, i grabbed my sweater and climbed out the window. I rushed over to the trail. I've been wantin to see Dally all day, sittin around with Clarice and TJ made the feelin worse.

When i finally got there, Dally was messin with his blade, before i approached him a branch that i stepped on startled him. He was ready to attack until he saw me, but he didn't acknowledge my presence. He put the blade behind his back and messed with his hands instead, completely ignoring me. I stepped to him and held onto his arm," Dally what's wrong?" He glanced down at me," Who was that guy you were with earlier?" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion," What guy-" Dally snatched himself away from me and stepped back a little," Don't- Don't lie." His jaw was clenched together and his eyes were full of hurt and anger. Then it clicked, he was talking about TJ. He saw us? "Dally that was-" Dally combed back his hair with hs hand in frustration," If you wanted to be seen out in public so bad you should've just told me instead of being a cheatin little slut." My jaw dropped , i clenched my fists together to keep myself from blowin up on Dally. I could understand why he would think that, but he didn't have to call me a slut.

I stomped over to him and poked his chest roughly," I ain't no slut Dallas. maybe if you'd let me finish you would've known that the guy you saw was my brother." I shoved him as hard as I could and stormed off. Before i could get away Dally gripped my wrist and pulled me back to him," Let me go." He gripped me harder," Look, i didn't mean to call you that." I glared at him," You know what they say ' Say what you mean, mean what you say' and you said what you meant Dally." His grip on my wrist loosened and he sighed," I'm sorry alright." He let me go completely and stuffed his hands into his pockets lookin down at the ground," Dally why would you think that I would cheat on you. I'm not like those other girls." I steadily walked up to him and placed my hand on his cheek, he hesitantly gazed into my eyes," You are the worst yet the best thing that ever happened to me." I smirk crept on his face as he embraced me into a kiss. His hands trailed down my hips to my thighs and wrapped my legs around his hips. My arms snaked around his neck and my hands tangled his hair. He planted kisses down my neck and on my chest," Remember that waitress from the diner?" I looked down at him and raised my eyebrow," Yeah, why?" he smiled and kissed my chest again," She tried to get my number." "Did you give it to her?" "No, and she asked me why i wouldn't give it to her." " And what did you say?" he mischievously grinned at me," I said I don't date white broads." My mouth opened in amusement, i playfully hit his chest and laughed," No you didn't." He nodded his head and chuckled, causing me to laugh even more.


	6. Chapter 6

I snuggled up in Dally's arms as we sat on the ground at the trail. I lifted my head up to look at Dally,"My birthday's comin' up." "Yeah, when?" "Friday, on March 12th." I gave him a knowing smile, so he could get a hint that i want a present. He raised his eyebrow," Why are you lookin' at me like that?" I rolled my eyes and snuggled more into his arm," Nothing just wanted you to know that." i laid my head on his chest and listened to his soothing steady heart beat.

"My little Diana is growin' up. You're finally gonna be 17." Clarice clarified. We were walking back home from school," We're only a year apart." She playfully rolled her eyes," You're still my sweet little innocent Diana, who waits til marriage to have sex." I glanced over at her confused," Don't you?" she suspiciously smiled and shrugged her shoulders," Nope. I couldn't wait, it was too temptin'." I slapped her arm and laughed," With who?" " It was with this senior guy, before you moved here." " How was it?" " Girl it hurt like hell, but after a while i got used to it." I glanced at her and back at the ground," Why you askin' me these questions anyway? You tryin' to get busy with somebody?" I smiled embarrassedly, i could feel my face turnin' red," Diana, who you tryin' to do the nasty with!?" I covered my heated face," No one, now shut up." We both bursted out laughin', before we went our separate ways Clarice reluctantly wrapped her arms around me. I immediately returned the favor," I love ya girl." "I love you too." We both let go and went on home.

When i got home everyone was doin' their usual routine; Olivia and Henry doin' their homework, momma's cookin' in the kitchen and daddy's doin' whatever he wants to. I went to my bedroom and put up my stuff and returned to the kitchen to help momma. I washed my hands before I helped cause she hates when we don't. After i washed my hands , I stood beside momma waitin' for permission to help her," Diana go and get me the paprika in the cabinet." I did as she told and grabbed the spice from the cabinet and handed it to her. She quickly grabbed it and sprinkled the contents into the pot, she handed back the paprika and I put it back into the cabinet," Diana come over here and stir the pot." I walked over to the stove and grabbed the wooden spoon then stirred the pot. Momma got out the cutting board and cut up some carrots," You excited for ya birthday?" I glanced at her then back to the pot," A little, i mean it's just seventeen." She stopped cutting and stared at me shocked," Just seventeen!? Did you know what i did at seventeen?" I shook my head and chuckled," I don't think I want to." she smiled at me and pushed me away from the stove," Whateva go on, i'm not in need of ya services." We both laughed and i walked out of the kitchen and sat with Olivia and Henry in the living room," What y'all working on." They quickly scrambled up their unknown papers and hid them from me," Nothing." they stated in unison. I raised my eyebrow," Okaay, what y'all hidin'?" they looked at each other and back at me," Nothing."

After dinner, I went back to my room and read a book for a school assignment in English. While i was readin' I was plannin' on going to the trail to meet Dally, but i figured i'll just pass tonight. I thought that maybe he needed a break from me sometimes, so I stayed and finished my book.

Dally's POV

I was hangin' around with Tim and them by Buck's. We were all smokin' cigarettes and drinkin' beer, i was still sippin' on my first one, anxious to see Diana," Oh man did you see that chick? Long legs, nice ass man." He started to hit my arm tryin to get my attention," Look look look." I glanced over at the chick walking by us, he was right about the nice legs and ass but I wasn't interested. Tim and everybody else wolf whistled and called after her tryin to get a piece of her. The broad ignored them and kept walkin' and Tim turned back to me," Aye man you're missin' out." I glanced down at my watch, it was 6:50," Yeah man I gotta go." I left my beer on the trunk of his car and walked to the trail.

i haven't seen Diana all day, not even in town when i tell her not to go. While i was walkin' there i smoked a cigarette tryin to get a few puffs in cause she hates it when i smoke around her. When i finally made it, I tossed the cigarette bud and stood myself up by the tree. I took a look at my watch, she would be here by now. She could be caught up or something so I waited patiently.

"Where is this broad?" I whispered to myself, i looked at my watch again and it said 7:30. I was gonna walk back to Buck's but i figured i might as well go and see her. So i rushed over to her house. I snuck behind the back of her house from the woods, i crept to her window and easily unlocked it and climbed in shutting the window behind me.

Diana was sittin' up on her bed readin' a book," You ditched me for that book." She was so into the book that she didn't even notice i came in," Dally why did ya come here?" I crawled onto the bed and hid behind her book," Why wouldn't i?" She shrugged her shoulders," I don't know, i thought you needed a break from me. I swiftly snatched the book from her and tossed it to the foot of the bed. I crept closer to her face and kissed her on the lips," i dont need a break from you Doll." I gripped her legs and scooted her body closer to mine. She cupped my face in her hands and brought me down to kiss her. Her lips fit mine like a puzzle, her tongue glided along my lips asking for an entrance. Her actions shocked me, usually i would be the one doin' that, but I let her tongue slip into my mouth and i did the same. As the kiss deepened, she wrapped her arms around my neck and i held onto her hips; wantin' to do way more than that," Dally i gotta go to sleep." She gasped for air, I continued to kiss down her neck," Dally come on now." I sighed and rolled off her, I lifted up her bed cover so she could get underneath them. She slid underneath the covers and got comfortable; I let her rest her head on my arm and curl up next to me,"You not leaving?" she tiredly asked, I glanced down at her and she gave me a small smile" No, i'll be here, just go to sleep."

Normal POV

The last thing I heard Dally say when I fell asleep was that he would be here. I opened my eyes to see nothing, just sunlight shining bright through the blinds of my window, only another day till my birthday.


	7. Chapter 7

Waking up today felt like any other day, even though i'm 17 now, i still felt the same. I got out of bed before momma could come in and say so. I put in The Ronettes: Presenting the Fabulous Ronnettes, one of my favorite records. While i was gettin my outfit i was dancing and singin with the music. After i got ready for school, i was expectin a happy birthday from my family but they continued to do whatever they usual did in the morning.

When i went outside to meet my friends at Clarice's house the same thing happened; no one said happy birthday or anything, it was weird.

Despite the weirdness, i went along with what they were doing," Diana did you finish that paper for Mrs. Fletcher?" Lisa questioned," Of course i did, why?" Her jaw dropped," How did you do it? You know all her assignments be hard. You are just too smart girl." She smiled at me and i did the same. When we got to school and went to our lockers, people would stop and tell me Happy birthday, unlike my friends and family. Whether i liked it or not, if felt good to be acknowledged of becoming a year older.

Most of my classes went by fast today,we only have one class left which was gym. Me and Clarice went to the girls locker room with all the other girls. We sat our stuff on the bench between the lockers, I put in my combination and opened my locker. I grabbed my gray gym shirt and navy gym shorts, then stuffed my book bag into my locker. I took off my shoes and my clothes and placed them in my locker too. I slipped on my shirt and shorts, shoved my feet into my uncomfortable tennis shoes,"You ready Clare?" she nodded her head," Yeah lets go." We both shut out lockers and went back into the gym and sat on the bleachers and waited for everyone else," I wonder what we gonna be doin today. You know Coach Lyons always makin us do somethin crazy." I stated. Clarice glanced at me and grinned," Well it works. It helped get me this nice little shape." She jokingly rubbed her torso sensually and we both laughed.

As i thought, Coach Lyons worked us out to death; we did circuit workouts the whole time non stop. One girl threw up, and one guy literally passed out. After our last circuit he gave us a break, Clarice dropped to her knees and started crawling like she was dying," Diana, help. I can't go on much longer." She gasped dramatically tryin to catch her breath," Clarice if you don't get up and come on." She slowly lifted herself from the floor and walked with me to the water fountains. The line was still long when we got to them, fellow students were dyin of thirst like us. One by one the line got smaller, and we finally got our water; dreadin goin back to the torturous workout. Once everyone got a drink of water, we continued the circuits, ten minutes before the bell would ring we stopped the workout and went back to the lockers. Clarice and I took off our sweaty gym clothes and freshened up, i put my gym clothes into my book bag so i could wash them when i got home. Clarice did the same and we changed back into our regular clothes. After i got all my stuff, i closed my locker and walked to the mirrors to fix my hair," Girl you look fine let's go." Clarice grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the gym and we sat on the bleachers waiting for the bell to dismiss us.

While we were sittin Michael Livingston approached us with somethin in his hand," Hey Diana." I looked at him and smiled," HI Michael." he nervously smiled," I just wanted to give you this," he handed me a rectangular package wrapped with brown paper," You can open it now." I turned to glance at Clarice but she was gone, i looked around the gym and she was no where to be found. I ignored her sudden disappearance and carefully unwrapped the package. When i came close to seein the object, i smiled widely and glanced at Michael," Is this me?" He grinned and nodded his head," How did you draw this?" he shrugged his shoulders," I know your face like the back of my hand." I got up from the bleachers and embraced him in a hug, he was hesitant to hug me back but he eventually did," I'm glad you like it." I pulled away from him," I love it, Thank you." As i said that the bell rang, i waved goodbye to him and left the school building.

I stood outside the school on the sidewalk waitin for Lisa, Cheryl and Clarice but they never came. So i walked back home alone, as i was headin there i would gaze at the portrait, amazed at how much it looked like me. As i got to the steps of my house, i put the picture under my arm and i got my house key from my bag. I went up to the door and unlocked it, as i opened the door i couldnt believe my eyes," HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone screamed in unison. I almost shed a tear as everyone came to hug me. Momma and daddy hugged me first then Olivia and Henry; next TJ and Clarice ; last but not least Cheryl and Lisa. There was a banner hanging up across the room that said Happy Birthday, there were also balloons and streamers everywhere. Daddy brought out the big record player we had and played some Ray Charles. Daddy grabbed momma and started dancin; TJ and Clarice did the same. I grabbed Henry's hand and began swing dancin. Olivia, Lisa and Cheryl joined in also.

After dancin, we all ate my favorite meal that momma cooked, lasagna. I ate my meal pretty quick;while everyone was still eatin, i grabbed my portrait and went to my room to hang it up. I came back to the living room and sat in between Lisa and Cheryl," I hope yall saved room for desert, its time for cake and ice cream." Momma announced. She grabbed my hand and guided me to the kitchen table and sat me down in a chair. Everyone else crowded around the table, Momma came behind me and set down a round cake with white icing in front of me. Daddy lit the seventeen candles that were circled around the perimeter of the cake; in the center of the cake it read 'Happy Birthday Diana' Suddenly everyone started to sing," Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to Diana. Happy Birthday toy you." I closed my eyes shut and inhaled. I wish everything could change for the better. I opened my eyes and blew out all the candles, everyone applauded and cheered," What you wish for?" Clarice asked. I glanced at her and shook my head," If I tell ya it won't come true."

Momma cut everyone a piece of cake, and we served ourselves with ice cream. I got the piece of cake with my name on it and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Clarice, Lisa, and Cheryl sat next to me," I bet you wished for a boyfriend." Lisa guessed. I rolled my eyes," No i didn't. I don't need one." Clarice swatted her hand," I keep tryin to tell her." We all laughed catching Olivia's attention," Are you talkin about that guy we saw at the store?" My eyes widened and they stared at me shocked," What guy?" They asked in unison, my cheeks turned red and i covered my face," Who is he Diana?" Clarice shook me," No one." I glanced at Olivia and mouthed 'Stop' and she mouthed back a sorry. "We'll drop it this time." Lisa explained.

"Can she open her presents now?" Henry begged Momma. She nodded her head," Presents?" Henry ran up to me and dragged me into the living room," Yeah come on." I sat down on the floor and everyone gathered around me. Momma handed me a big rectangular white box. I removed the lid of the box and grabbed the beautiful garment. It was a short sleeved, long flared blue green and pink floral dress," How'd you know i wanted this?" Momma grinned knowingly," I saw you peepin at it when we went to the store." " Thank you momma i love it."

Next daddy handed me a flat square object wrapped in green wrapping paper, i unwrapped it and squealed like a little girl. it was the new Elvis album that came out on the first of march, i've been wantin it ever since they came out in stores. I hugged the album to my chest," Thank you daddy." "You're welcome sweetheart." I set the album carefully on top of my dress; Tj and Clarice handed me my gifts from them. I opened TJ's first, it was a tiny square blue box, i lifted the lid and inside were these beautiful ear rings," TJ they're beautiful. Thank you." he reached down and gave me a hug. Then I opened Clarice's gift, it was wrapped in wrapping paper with trees on them, I opened the box to see a green friendship bracelet. Clarice lifted her shirt sleeve just above her wrist and shook her matching friendship bracelet. She came over to me and put the bracelet around my wrist," best friends forever D." I smiled at her and she hugged me. Next Cheryl and Lisa brought together a basket full of candy," We got you some candy!" "Yaay cavities!" I celebrated sarcastically. I chuckled and everyone else did too," Thank y'all." Last but not least, Olivia handed me a homemade Birthday Card, I opened it and it read,"To Diana the best sister in the world. You always help us whenever we need help. Whenever we feel sad, you're always there to cheer us up. We go to church every sunday and didn't believe in God much but, now we really believe there's a god because he sent a wonderful angel like you to us. Love Olivia and Henry." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes," Come here." They both approached me and I enveloped them into a hug. I kissed Olivia on the cheek and did the same to Henry," I love y'all so much. Never forget that." "We love you too." I let them go but Henry stayed attached to me, he was like my little side kick," Thank y'all so much for everything."

It started to get late so Clarice, Lisa and Cheryl went back home; TJ stayed here with us to clean up. Olivia and Henry threw away all the trash, after they did that Momma told them to go to bed. TJ helped take down the decorations with Daddy, so i went to the kitchen to help momma clean the dishes and put away the left over food," Diana you don't have to help." I gave her a small smile," i know but i want to." I continued to help her put everything away, TJ and daddy finished takin everything down and TJ told us goodbye. Daddy hugged me and kissed momma on the cheek before going into their bedroom. Momma and I finally finished the dishes and she went off to bed. Before i went into my room, i grabbed me another piece of cake; i gathered my gifts and set the plate with the cake on top of everything. I opened my door and stayed focus on the stuff in my hand so i wouldn't drop anything, i set the stuff on the floor and the plate on my dresser and closed the door behind. When i finally looked up, i gripped my hand to my chest, startled by the figure sittin on my bed," Dally you scared me to death." He stayed silent gettin off the bed and stalked towards me, he had one hand behind his back," I uh got you somethin'." He brought the hand from behind his back and handed me a small black box. I glanced at him and back at the box, i hesitantly opened the box not knowing what the hell he would give me but to my surprise it was silver ring band. On the inside of the ring it had Dally's name engraved into it, i took it out of the box and examined it. Dally gently grabbed my hand and slipped the ring onto my finger," It's perfect." I whispered under my breath.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me from the ground and i kissed him on the lips. He squeezed me tight against his body and sat back down on the bed, he nuzzled his head into the crook of my neck and kissed me softly," want some cake?" he mischievously smiled," Which cake?" I glared at him and grabbed the plate with the piece of cake on it," This cake." I dug the fork into it and took a bite. i dug into there again and hovered the fork close to Dally's mouth, he slowly opened it and took a bite of the cake. As he was chewin he took the plate from me and ate the rest of it,"I was gonna eat that." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and continued eaten it. While he was eatin, i went back to my gifts on the floor and set them on the bed. I grabbed a hanger from my closet and hung my dress from it, before i could hang it up Dally gripped my hip and pulled me back to him," Did you make this cake?" I shook my head," No, I believe my momma did." He licked his fingers and smiled," Better than Darry's cake man." I raised my eyebrow," Who's Darry?" "Just a friend." He pointed to the stuff on the bed," What you get?" I cheered hoping he would ask that," I got this dress from momma and look what i got from daddy." I snatched the album from my bed and showed it to him," Hey i was gonna steal this when it came out." I hit him on his shoulder and put the album in my record case. I walked back to the stuff on my bed and held up my earrings and held up my wrist with my bracelet," TJ gave me the earrings and my friend Clarice gave me the bracelet." I gave him the card Olivia and Henry made for me. As he read it I put my earrings on my dresser," I'm not the only one who thinks you're an angel." I quickly turned my attention to him," You think i'm an angel." he nodded his head and handed me the card back,"Yeah, Doll." He grabbed a candy bar from my candy basket and laid down on the bed," That's my candy." He ripped the package of the candy bar and took a bite from the bar. I crawled onto the bed, my legs straddled each side of Dally's hips," Can i have a bite?" He reached out to me and I took a bite from the bar, before he retrieved the bar from me I noticed a new ring on his finger, that looked like the one he gave me," You got a ring too?" He was caught off guard by my question and glanced at his hand," Yeah, it has your name engraved into it." I grabbed his hand and took off the ring and examined it. He wasn't lyin about my name being on it, and at that moment i had a feelin that maybe this relationship we have could work. It could really work.


	8. Chapter 8

I was walking down to this store i haven't been to. Momma told me to go to the store to get this specific spice and a pint of milk, i was gonna go to the usual store i always go to, but at the moment i felt like tryin a new store. As i got to the store, I opened the door and the little bell rung, i turned my attention to the store clerk. He looked around 30 or late 20s, he had messy bronze hair with an ugly go-tee, he was tall and scrawny, and he looked like he smelled of old socks. I gave him an awkward grin and continued to go through the store, every once and a while I would glance at him. He had a mean suspicious look on his face, i reached for the spice momma wanted until i was startled by a raspy voice," Aye! what you doin back there!?" I glanced at him and waved the bottle of spice so he could see what i was gettin," Put it back!" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion," Why?-" "Put it back nigga! I don't want you contaminatin my store." I squeezed the spice bottle tight to keep from throwin it at his head," Can't you hear nigga!? I told you to put it back and get out my store!" I was sick and tired of him callin me that name. I don't let things get under my skin, but that word always seemed to creep its way in. It hurt hearin that word, that word brings tears to my eyes; in history class, the only things that catch my interest is the history of my ancestors, the ones that originated in africa and were taken by the white men to be enslaved. They would just take them and claim them as if they were pets, givin them new names, treatin them like dirt. If the white people's goal were too make us feel like dirt, well they accomplished it for over 400 years.

Tryin hard not to boil over, i did as the man said; I set the spice back on the rack and calmly walked back to the door, before i could fully leave the man spoke," Fuckin' niggas always thinkin they can just come into any place they want." He knew i heard what he had said, he was doin it just to purposely make me feel bad and it worked. On my way out i slammed his door and stormed back home. I busted through the door, startling everyone," Where's the-" "They were out." I answered momma before she could ask the question. I ignored everyone and went to my room and plopped on my bed; i laid flat on my stomach and burrowed my face into my pillow.

I laid there for who knows how long, momma opened the door," Diana dinners ready." I still had my face burrowed in my pillow and my voice was muffled," I'm not hungry." It was silent for a second but i could still feel her standin at my door; i turned my head to look at her," Can i spend the night at Clarice's?" She looked at me sympathetically and nodded her head," Make sure you're back here before dinner tomorrow." " Thank you." I gave her a noticeably fake smile and she left my room.

I packed some of my stuff into a backpack; out of no where, i heard someone tryin to get into my window, and I already knew who it was," Hey Doll." He glanced at me and i gave him a small smile," Where ya goin?" He pointed to the stuffed backpack on my bed," Over my friend's house." He stepped towards me and gently grabbed my hand," Spend the night with me." I shrugged my shoulders, not really in the mood for a protest," Okay." I put on this oversized jacket that Dally stole for me a while back and grabbed my backpack. He climbed back out the window and i shut it tight. I exited my room and went out the front door of the house; i walked as if i was goin to Clarice's house but instead took a different route and met up with Dally. I had my hood over my head, so i couldn't really see Dally from the corner of my eye, but i felt him put his arm over my shoulder as we walked," Hey I was thinkin I could take Buck's car and we could go to the drive in sometime," I stayed silent not really payin attention to him, i only stayed focus on my footsteps," You know, and go see that new James Bond movie…Or maybe not." Dally finally trailed off and remained quiet.

We finally made it to the place, Dally pushed the door and he dragged me into the loud building. People were partying not givin a damn, heavy smoke clogged the place completely. I hid behind Dally the whole time, these people kinda scared me. I carefully followed Dally up the stairs, cautiously scannin my surroundings, the place looked like it been through hell and back. A moment later, we made an abrupt stop; Dally pushed open the door easily, he quickly went in and threw off his leather jacket. I followed behind him and sat on his bed; i took off my backpack and the large jacket. I took off my shoes and sat criss cross, i placed my elbows on my knees and laid my head in my hands. I heard Dally shufflin through his dresser," I'm going downstairs really quick, you want anything?" I shook my head, but mentally hit myself in the face, he was turned around so he couldn't see me,"No. I'm good." He was about to go out the room but stopped in front of me for a second then exited the room.

I just sat there in the same position contemplatin about the same thing that keeps happenin. i usually don't act like this, i try to keep a smile on my face,but i couldn't. This discriminatin thing happens everyday, no matter where, when, why or how, it just happens. I try to ignore it but one of these days i might just lose it.

I don't want to live like this for the rest of my life. I just want to be accepted, im not a bad person and i dont plan on being one to be accepted. I wish i had Dally's attitude, he can do whatever he wants and not care about anything; he makes it look so easy.

Suddenly the door swung open, Dally had a beer in his hand, he took a swig of it as he closed the door. He walked to his night stand and set the beer on top of it before taking a seat on the bed beside me," D, what's wrong?" I glanced at him and forced a smile," Nothin, i'm fine Dally." He rolled his eyes and sighed," I heard that a million times, you're not fine." I slightly bit my bottom lip," It's nothin to worry about." " You've been quiet ever since i seen ya today. Somethin's botherin ya." I kept my mouth closed and stared at my hands," See what I mean." I could feel the tears easing their way out of my eyes, i inhaled through my nose and exhaled out of my mouth. The tears began to trickled down my face," I'm sorry." I choked on my words. I immediately felt Dally grab my hand,"I-I'm just frustrated. I try so hard to ignore people and what they say but it gets to me. I try to be a good christian and let god handle it, but i-i just can't." Dally protectively wrapped his arms around me. I gripped onto his shirt and cried my heart out," I can't. I can't." I felt Dally lay his head on top of mine as he squeezed me comfortingly; making me feel safe.


	9. Chapter 9

Can you stay the night?" Dally questioned. I nodded my head," Yeah its the weekend. My parents probably gonna think im at Clarice's again so we're fine." "Good lets go." I put my hood over my head and rolled down the sleeves of the oversized jacket.

Dally literally dragged me to his place, it seemed like he was eager to get there. I've only been over there once and he's already anxious to get me back; when we finally made it to the building, he busted through the door and gripped my hand forcing me to follow behind him. The place was loud, smoggy and crowded as usual; we walked up the stairs and made it to his room. He opened the door and walked in before me," Ya just gonna stand there?" I slowly crept inside and shut the door behind me. I took off the jacket and laid it flat on the bed and sat on it.

Suddenly, Dally stepped in front of me," Undo this Doll." I glanced up at him and smiled as i grabbed the collar of his shirt. I gradually undid the buttons of his shirt; scanning my eyes over his toned torso. As i undid the last button of his shirt, he threw it nonchalantly across the room and hopped onto his bed. He laid on his back, hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. I stayed in the same position until Dal grabbed my arm and pulled me down onto his body. I gently placed my hand on his chest and played with his chain and twirled it around my finger," i bet you cant guess my favorite color." Dally glanced down at me with a questionable expression," I bet i can." "Okay if you lose we get to do whatever. I. Want." "And if you lose we get to do whatever I want." Dally had a long mischievous smirk on his face," Okay take ya time." I propped myself up with my elbow waiting for him to answer. Dally had himself propped up with both his elbows, with a pondering look on his face," Gimme a hint." I rolled my eyes at him and smiled a bit," Okay, since ya seem like you didnt pay attention in school, its the color of chlorophyll." Without any hesitation or thinking, he simply answered," Green." I think my eyes popped out of my head and my jaw broke because i didnt expect him to get it right," I paid attention to some stuff. I won so lets get this show on the rode." He swiftly rolled his body on top of me with his arms on either side of me," Wait that's not fair you got a hint." He shook his head and smirked," That wasnt in the rules. Diana come on I won fair and square." I slowly laid back down and jokingly glared at Dally. He hovered his half naked body over mine,"You done this before?" I raised an eyebrow at him not gettin the question until it clicked in my mind," Yea." " You're lying." " I aint lying," I actually was but he didnt need to know that, i dont want him to go easy on me cause I'm virgin," Now kiss me already." I pulled him down with his chain tangled in my index finger. His tongue traced my lips before roughly kissing me, his hands pinned me down to the bed. He brushed his lips across my neck and worked his way up my jaw. When he got to my lips again, he paused and looked me in my eyes. He knew i was craving him that i wanted him as much as he wanted me. He mentally pressed play and hungrily kissed my lips. As we continued kissing i steadily wrapped my arms around his neck and tangled my fingers in his hair; his hands traveled down to my waist. Dally softly caressed my butt before he gripped my thighs, pulling my lower body against his own. I released one of my hands from his hair and trickled down the mold of his torso to the hem of his jeans. I swiftly unfastened the button and unzipped the zipper. Dally unlatched his lips from mine and gazed into my eyes; he deviously smirked at me and pulled everything off his body, leaving him completely naked.

I could feel my heart beating out of my chest, tryin to escape like an ape in a cage. I didn't know what to do, and I certainly didn't want Dally to know that, so I untied the wrap string around my dress. Dally pleasingly helped me pull the dress over my head and tossed it on the floor. He smoothly unclipped my bra and tossed it too, leaving me bare chested. Dally grazed my chest with his eyes, like an animal he hungrily pounced on top of me. He nuzzled his head into my neck expertly finding my sweet spot, which i never knew i had. I let out a soft moan.

Dally held onto my waist as he steadily slid my panties off my hips then off me easily. I nervously stared straight across the room, thinkin what the hell i've gotten myself into. Suddenly, Dally hovered over me and brushed his lips against my neck sending shivers down my spine. Out of instinct, i groped his hard member , which felt really weird. I massaged it fluently up and down causing him to release a husky groan. Sweet music to my ears. I could feel my inner walls tightening with pleasure. I let go of his member and wrapped my arms around his neck.

Unexpectedly, Dally shoved himself inside of me; I whimpered in agony. I quickly bit my bottom lip as another whimper escaped my mouth as he thrusted inside of me. I tightened my grip around him, digging my nails into his back. With each stroke our moans would fill the air. The pain finally went away as i heavily breathed into Dally's ear. My heart was pounding rapidly and my temperature was rising. Dally straddled me tighter, each stroke becoming faster, my body couldnt hold on any longer. I gasped in pleasure as my head fell back and my back arched.

Dally came into me groaning against the skin of my neck as he gripped me close. He brought his lips back against mine, kissing me deeply as he eased his body off of mine. I slowly breathed so my heart beat could steady. Dally reached over me and grabbed something from his night stand. I glanced over at him, he had a cigarette in his mouth ready to light it," Really Dally?" I looked to me and back at the match he was about to lit," My room, my rules." I rolled my eyes and put the covers over my head to prevent the smoke gettin to me. All of a sudden i felt the cover over my head being removed, i covered my face with my hands instead," Come on it ain't that bad." I turned my head to face Dally, all of sudden he blew smoke into my face and I glared at him," One of these days i'm gonna kill you Dallas Winston." He grinned at me before taking another puff of the cigarette," Beauty killed the beast." I looked up at him and just bursted out laughing. He looked down at me, chuckling himself," I love ya D." I snuggled up against his body and sighed," I love you too."


	10. Chapter 10

" You should come to a rodeo, watch me conquer the bull." Dally insisted confidently. I glanced at him dumbfounded," What would I look like goin in there," He raised an eyebrow," Those people gonna look at me like I'm crazy. A black girl watchin a rodeo full of white people?" dally shrugged his shoulders," Who cares about them." "Oh now you don't care about bein seen with me." I stated sarcastically. "You're not going to be seen with me. I'll be in the rodeo." "And afterwards?" I questioned. " We'll uh meet up somewhere." I rolled my eyes," Fine." I never would've thought Dally was a rodeo type guy but at the same time, rodeos are very reckless and dangerous from what i heard, so it's right up his alley.

When i arrived at the rodeo arena, i scurried to a seat that was empty, hopin no one saw me. Soon people came floodin in, not a lot but enough to have a hollerin crowd. This is my first time attendin one of these rodeos, i wanted to go before i met Dally but my friends didn't want to go and my parents don't like em. The show began with one of those ring announcers callin out people's names and they would come out and perform. Some guys were wranglin cattle, other people were showing off their horses, and most of all riding the bull. This one guy out there was doin tricks with his ropes and i couldn't help but cheer; until i felt glares at the side of my head. I turned to the threat but only saw a couple of them rich girls, i starred at them and they mean mugged me from a distance. I noticed that they snickered something about me, i looked at them and they were gigglin with each other. I continued watchin the show cheering cautiously to myself, i tried not to be so paranoid about those girls. All i care about right now is Dally and that's all that should matter.

So for a good moment I ignored the girls, not payin attention to an of their little snickers or jokes; Finally the ring announcer Announced Dally, tellin us that he was gonna try and conquer the bull. He has to stay on the bull for 8 seconds or more. Suddenly I heard a bell and the gate opened for the bull, Dally was on top of the bull, hanging on the rope for dear life. I panicked inside, I didn't want him to get seriously hurt, cause i would be the first one out in that arena tryin to help him. Suddenly, i heard them girls whistlin' and cheerin for Dally, I quickly glared them down, mentally knockin their heads in. Seein them do that irked my nerves, cause at any moment Dally could stop lovin me, stop carin about me and get with them kind of girls. I abruptly got rid of the thought and paid attention to Dally and the bull.

The bull was jumpin around kickin its legs up tryin to throw Dally off of em, but miraculously Dally was still attached to him. While the bull was jerkin around, so was Dally, it seemed like his neck would break off any moment, the way the bull was moving made Dally look like a rag doll. The bull did one last jerk and Dally fell off, he was one second away from conquering that bull. As Dally was on the ground, he kicked the dirt on the arena. I could tell he was pissed, hell i would be too if i was so close to achieving something like that. He defeatedly walked out of the arena as everyone cheered him on. Before Dally completely walked out he glanced up at me and tilted his hat in a flirty manner; I smiled at him. No one noticed that except for them girls," She is tryin to take our men." One of them complained loudly. "She cant get em no way. They don't want no coon wrapped in they arms." The other one chimed in. I focused my attention on them," Well they obviously dont want you." "They obviously want us because we have boyfriends." "Then maybe you should stop tryin to get with other boys." They glared at me in distraught, one of them had their hands on their hips," Was that your boyfriend?" She was referin to Dally, i wish i could say yes so i could prove her wrong," No, but if i wanted em, i could get em." The girls glared me down.

I was gettin uncomfortable so i grabbed my things and stepped away. Before i could walk out one of the girls shoved me, i immediately spun around and shoved her back. She stumbled against her friend and got back up; she swung at me ,but like Muhammed Ali, i dodged it. I quickly swung my arm at her and my fist collided with her face. The girls were stunned at my actions and so was i.

I rapidly jogged out of the stands," You a dead nigga!" One of them yelled after me. I rushed behind the building and saw Dally restin with one foot on the building proppin his self up and smokin a cigarette. I frantically ran to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, embracing him into a hug. His body stiffened but quickly softened as he knew it was me; he flicked his cigarette and snaked his arms around my waist picking me up from the ground," You did so good." He glanced at me questionably," Are you kidding? I couldve gotten that bull but he flipped me off." " Those other guys could barely stay on for a second. You did great Dally, stop beatin ya self up over a bull. Hell he'll be someone's dinner tonight." My last comment made him chuckle as he passionately kissed me on the lips," You gonna meet me at the trail tonight?" "If you want me to." He kissed me one last time before puttin me down," I'll see ya tonight." He squeezed me tight against him; i kissed his cheek and started to walk away, i wasn't even a foot away as Dally squeezed my butt. I swatted his hand away and playfully glared at him as he laughed deviously. I eventually got away from the building and headed back home.

When i got to my house, i casually walked through the door, momma was on the couch watchin tv," How was the little rodeo?" I shut the door behind me and sat on the couch next to her," It was different but i liked it. Where's everybody?" Momma reached down and took a sip of tea from her mug," Ya daddy took your brother and sister to the park." " Why didn't you go?" She glanced at me with her eyebrows furrowed," You tryin to bring someone over here or somethin?" I shook my head," No, i thought you would go with them." "I needed a break." I layed my head on mommas shoulder and slowly drifted asleep.

"Diana get up it's time for dinner." Momma commanded. I drowsily got up and stretched my arms. I got up from the couch and went into the dining room. I sat beside Henry and ate dinner.

After dinner, i helped momma clean up and told everyone goodnight. I kept on my outfit that i had on today and slipped on my sweater. I did my usual routine and climbed out the window and proceeded to walk to the trail.

I wrapped my arms around myself since it was kinda chilly outside, i steadily paced along the side walk. Suddenly i saw a light gleaming in my eyes, i placed my hand above my eyes so i could see. The light came closer and closer, when it got near me, i could see it was an expensive car. As the car approached, it abruptly stopped," Aye, there she is!" I stood there confused, they immediately jumped out the car. Without hesitation i ran for it," Don't let her get away!" I was running for my life but my body couldnt take it, i began to unwillingly slow down. One of the guys caught up to me and tackled me to the ground. I fell with a thud, taking the breath out of me, the guy pinned me down and punched me in the jaw. I tried desperately to get out of his pin, he continued to punch me in the face. I could feel the blood in my mouth, the guy gripped my jaw tightly. The other guys caught up to us and joined in. Some got a few kicks to my gut causing me to cough up blood. Astonishingly, one of the guys order them to stop, i was grateful for a moment until he stalked towards me. He snatched my hair into his palm and forced my head up next to his," If i ever hear about you messing with my girl or any of my people, i wont hesitate to kill ya." He threw down my head and i hit the concrete sidewalk as they ran back and scurried off in their car.

I held my aching ribs , as i tried to crawl up the side walk. Tears trailed down my bruising face, i knew i was near the trail so i yelled from the little breath i had left," Dally!" I screamed his name once again but broke down clenching my ribs.

Dally's POV

I checked my watch again, usually Diana would be here by now. I stopped what i was doing when i heard a faint scream. I heard it again but it sounded like my name. I flicked my cigarette and rushed to the screaming person. When i finally got to them, my throat was caught up," Diana?" I hurried to her, i kneeled down beside her and tried to pick her up. She silently whimpered and i tried to pick her up as gently as i could, but i was furious. I wanted to know who did this so i could kill them myself," Diana, who did this?" I questioned through gritted teeth. She continued to cry, hiccuping,"I-I don't know." I huffed in frustration, i had to get her somewhere safe so she can get cleaned up. Her house is the last place she should go. I thought for awhile but quickly came up with the Curtis' house. I carried her carefully and paced to their house.

I finally made it to the front of their house, i opened the gate and walked up the stairs. I went up to the door and knocked, no one came quick enough so i bursted through the door. Darry came from the kitchen and stared at me confusingly," What's going on?" I gulped," I need your help man." " Who is she?" I rolled my eyes," It doesnt matter. She needs your help," He gave in and pointed at the couch," Lay her down." I did as he said and gently placed her on the couch. I had to know who did this, and i know she knows. I lightly shook her to make her focus," Diana, you gotta tell me who did this to ya." Her eyes fluttered, her face was filled with pain," I dont know-" " Baby come on you gotta tell me." I heard Darry go into the bathroom to get a first aid kit. He came back and stood near us," I dont know. They were some rich lookin guys." Her voice trembled. Thats all i needed to hear," Darry can you-" "I got her just do what you have to do." I nodded my head. I glanced at Diana one last time and headed out the door.

Normal POV

My site went in and out as i layed in the unfamiliar place. I examined my surroundings and came across a handsome guy. He was older and muscular, he had nice blondish brownish hair," Hey." I stared at him hesitantly," Hi." He took out the stuff from a first aid kit," You're Diana, right?" I nodded my head and he smiled," I'm Darry, Dally's friend." He took a cloth and poured some alcohol on it," This might hurt a bit." He placed the cloth on the cut on my lip. It stung immensely and i winced in pain," Sorry." He continued to do this to the rest of the cuts on my face and placed band aids on then. He got some ointment from the kit and rubbed it on the bruises on my face. I lifted my shirt to reveal multiple bruises on my ribs, he rubbed some ointment on them too. He went into the kitchen and came back with a frozen bag of peas. He placed it on my swollen jaw," How did this happen?" I shook my head disappointedly," these girls at the rodeo, got their boyfriends and their friends to jump me, im assumin." He glanced at me sympathetically," I'm sorry this happened to you." I shook my head," It happens all the time, not as bad as this time but it's alright." He stared at me dumbfounded," It's not alright, this shouldn't happen to a good girl like you." " Not everybody thinks that. They see me as an ugly, good for nothin, diseased 'nigger'. " he lightly grabbed my hand," I see you as a beautiful strong girl and Dally's lucky to have ya." I smiled at him and he did the same," If you need anything, just drop by here anytime, alright." I nodded my head," Thank you."

Dally's POV

I ran to the rich part of town, hopin to find these dirt bags. I ended up findin them hangin out at this diner, they looked drunk out of their minds. The perfect time to ambush em, i joined in their laughter," I heard you guys were terrorizin those nigger kids!" They laughed even harder," Yeah man just got through with one of em. Bitch deserved it." " Seems pretty cool what you guys did," I started," But what im about to do is even cooler." The guy raised his eyebrow," Yeah? And what is th-" before he could finish his sentence, i punched him square in the nose. I nudged my elbow into another dudes face. Another guy came chargin at me but i slammed his body into the car, leavin a dent in it.

I picked up a beer bottle and smashed it onto the last guys head which knocked him out instantly. I left the place content with what i did, wishin i could do more. I hurried back to the Curtis' so i can see Diana and make sure she's alright.

Normal POV

I felt a little shake, i gripped the blanket that i didnt know was there," Diana get up." I glanced up at the person drowsily, it was Dally. I sat up from the couch i was layin on and tossed the blanket off me. Dally grabbed my hand and helped me off the couch, he guided me out the door; before we walked out i turned around. Darry smiled and waved at me, i did the same to him and followed Dally out the door.

While we walked down the street, i guess i was walkin too slow cause Dally scooped me up bridal style and carried me the rest of the way.

We finally got to house, he set me down and opened my window; he helped me in and climbed in himself. I sat on my bed and took off my shoes, wincin at the pain everytime i would bend down. Suddenly, Dally stood in front of me and gently removed the bloody sweater from my body. He placed his hands on my waist and grabbed the ends of my shirt, liftin it smoothly above my head. I glanced up at Dally, only to see a stern hard look on his face, he softly caressed the bruise with his thumb," I should've killed em." He said through gritted teeth. I got up from my bed and went to the dresser, pullin out one of my night gowns. I slipped it over my head as it draped my body; i pulled off my pants and tossed them in my laundry basket. I went back to my bed and got under the covers, Dally laid beside me. I turned my body to face him," My parents are goin to flip when they see this."


	11. Chapter 11

When i woke up Dally was gone, the sun was beaming through my window, i sat up on my bed. I wish these scars and bruises could go away over night; without a warning momma opened the door. She had a bright grin on her face until she saw me; she immediately ran over to me, grabbing my face in her hands," Diana what happened! Who did this to you!? Huh!? When did this happen!?" Momma panicked so bad that i couldn't answer any of her questions," Terrance!" Momma yelled after my dad," Yeah?" "Get in here!" My dad rushed to my door,"What's wr-?" he stopped dead in his tracks with the same look Dally had on his face when he saw the bruises. My dad stalked over to me and momma; he looked at momma then me," When did this happen?" I disappointedly looked into their eyes," It happened last night." Their expressions were stiff," But you were here asleep." " I had a nightmare so I went walkin so i could clear my head," i looked them in the eyes so they wouldn't think i was lyin," When i was out there some white guys jumped me." Daddy glanced at Momma then back at me gravely. It was like his eyes were piercing into my soul, like he knew something wasn't right," Don't you go out there again at night. I don't care if you have a nightmare or a daydream, these people won't hesitate to kill you Diana. I thought TJ being in the army would be stressful, but this is much worse." I nervously tangled my fingers together," For now on, you come straight home from school and i don't want you goin anywhere on the weekends. You goin to stay here and watch your brotha and sista." With that her and daddy stormed out my room.

All morning, momma and daddy didn't even speak to me, i could feel the disappointment in them. I should've seen this comin the moment i started sneakin out, now i can't go anywhere, cause I know now they will check on me every second. I got up from the table as i finished my breakfast, i grabbed my school bag and walked to the front door," Remember what ya momma said." Daddy said sternly. I glanced back at him," Yes Sir." I closed the door behind me and walked over to Clarice's house.

When i approached her house, Clarice, Lisa and Cheryl were already outside talkin, waitin for me," Hey y'all." They turned to me and smiled, but their smiles went away as they saw my face. Clarice pushed through Lisa and Cheryl and embraced me into a hug, layin my head on her chest as if i was a child," Diana what happened?" "I had a nightmare last night, i went walkin to clear my head and some white guys jumped me." Clarice pulled me away from her and stared at me surprisingly," Diana why would you go walkin at night!? Ya could've came to my house." I shrugged my shoulders," I didn't want to disturb y'all." " We are your friends, if ya need anything we're here for ya." Cheryl added. Clarice hugged me back again," If you ever have another nightmare or anything just drop by my house." I nodded at her and we all walked to school.

After school, i did as momma said and came straight home, i really didn't want to, but i have respect for my parents and i won't disobey them. They do everything for me and i wouldn't want to lose their respect for me. When i came in, I threw my book bag on my bed and took my shoes off; changin into somethin more comfortable. I grabbed one of the books i checked out from the library and went into the kitchen to pour me a glass of water. I sat down on the couch, took a sip of the water and opened the book. I was about to read until my siblins came burstin through the door with momma and daddy on their heels," I told you i'd beat ya!" Olivia boasted to Henry," Diana can beat you." "Diana can do what?" I asked them curiously. Henry rushed over to me and stood in front of me," You can beat Olivia in a race." I grinned at him," Yeah I could." I glanced at Olivia and she stuck her tongue out, i did the same to her.

I scrapped my book and helped Olivia with her homework. She kind of struggles with her math alot so im always there to help her. After finishing Olivia's homework with her, we ate dinner then sat in the living room to watch tv. I told everyone goodnight and went into my room.

I put on my night-clothes and sat on my bed and continued to read the book from earlier.

I really started gettin into the book," I, Robot" i was half way through with the book, i glanced at my clock and it was pretty late. Suddenly i heard my window being rattled with a little, i set my book down and walked over to my window. As i suspected it was Dally tryin to pop in, i opened up my window and he easily climbed in. I backed away so he could have some space to shut my window," I take it that you're grounded." He inquired. He turned to me and i nodded my head," In a way, yeah." He nodded his head with no expression on his face.

Without a warnin, Dally snaked his arms around my hips and hugged me tight. I wrapped my arms around his neck which lifted me off the ground; Dally nuzzled his head in my neck. He carried me to my bed and sat me down gently, his hands were still on my hips as he kissed me hungrily. I tangled my hands in his growing hair; he trailed kisses along my jaw and down to my neck. I let out a silent moan as he sucked on my sweet spot which he found oh too easily. I grasped ahold of his hair again," Don't cut your hair," I commanded," You look gorgeous." He immediately stopped what he was doing and brought his face up to mine, confusion plastered on his face," I don't like that." I smiled," You look beautiful then." He shook his head. I sighed and giggled," Fine. You look handsome." He didn't say anything, i looked into his cold eyes and grinned showin off my dimples; Dally pulled himself from me unamused and turned his body away from me. He started to look at the pictures i placed on my walls," Dally what's wrong?" He combed back his hair with his hand and faced me sternly," How are you smilin and laughin? You should be more pissed than I am." " Why should I?" He furrowed his eyebrows and pointed at my face,"Look what they did to ya. How are you smilin and laughin?"

"Cause it don't matter," I sighed," Dont you see, they think im afraid of them now but im not. Hell these scars will go away eventually." He crossed his arms stiffly,"They'll kill ya next time you do anything." I shrugged my shoulders," And that's a sacrifice i'm willing to make. Dally you shouldn't care about them." He rolled his eyes and combed back his hair in frustration," I don't care about them. I care about you dammit."

I grabbed onto his arm and pulled him over to me," Dally?" He didn't look at me," Dally? Look at me." I gently placed both of my hands on his cheeks and guided his face to mine," Look at me." I softly requested. His eyes slowly came into contact with mine," I'm fine okay. I'm fine. I'm not worried about them or anything, and you shouldn't be either. Okay?" I pecked him on the lips," Okay?" He placed his forehead onto mine and breathed," Yeah Doll."


	12. Chapter 12

Its been a few weeks since i've been grounded; i do as my parents tell me and come straight home and no going out on weekends. Dally comes every night that he can which is surprisingly every night," Diana? Diana!?" I glanced at Clarice," Yeah?" "Ya sure ya won't get in trouble?" I rolled my eyes," Yes. I can't leave the house, but you can still come in." She held up her hands in surrender," Okay, Okay just makin sure." We finally made it to my house, i opened the door and no one was home yet. We both went into my room and set our stuff down on my bed. Clarice immediately went into my record case and scavenged through it. I watched her as she finally found a record, The Ronnettes. She flashed me the record as she took it out of the cover and put it on my record player. As the beat of the song started off, Clarice got up and swayed to the song, Be My Baby.

I watched her dance like she was in love, which she probably is. All she ever talks about is her and TJ, and always gettin on to me about not havin a boyfriend. It annoys me that she doesn't know, she's my best friend, i would love for her to know. She continued to dance until she heard my family come in," Diana, you havin a party in there?" "No momma its just-" Clarice popped her head out of my room," Me!" Momma smiled at her," Hi Clarice, what yall doin in there?" " Just about to do some homework." Clarice answered. " Well get to it." Clarice nodded her head," Yes mam." And closed the door behind her. She went over to my record player and cut it off.

Clarice was gluing some stuff together for our project while i wrote down the information,"You're probably tired of me talkin bout ya brotha." I shook my head and smiled," No, i think its sweet. When y'all are happy, i'm happy." She smiled with me but quickly frowned," What about you Diana? When you gonna find someone that makes you happy?" I paused at her question. I want her to know everything, so she wouldn't have to worry about me; so we can talk about couple things with each other like normal girls do. I'm not tellin the whole world just my best friend, i know she'll keep our secret. She'll do anything for me vice versa. I looked Clarice into her eyes,"I have." It seemed like her eyes popped out of her head," You have!? Who!? Michael? Anthony?" I shook my head," He doesn't go to our school or school in general." Clarice scrunched up her face,"he's grown?" I shook my head again," Who is this guy?" I took in a deep breath then exhaled," His name is Dallas. Dallas Winston." Her eyebrows furrowed," What kind of name is tha-," it was like a light bulb clicked on in her head," You got yaself a white boy didnt you?" I nervously nodded my head, not knowin what her reaction may be.

Surprisingly, she squeezed me tight squealin," I knew you would. All that day dreamin did you justice. How long have yall been together?" " A couple months." "Is he nice and sweet like you see in the movies?" " Not exactly, he has his moments." Clarice's mouth twisted to the side and lifted an eyebrow," You got yaself a bad boy. Diana i am just to surprised right now, but i have one more question and im done for today." " Okay." " Have you two been intimate?" I could feel my face turning red, i shouldve seen that question comin, i covered my face with my hands to muffle my voice," Yes." "Oh my goodness, my sweet innocent Diana has matured." She grabbed me into a motherly hug squeezin the life out of me," I'll ask more questions tomorrow, but in the mean time, lets get back to work."

Once me and Clarice finished our project. I told her to keep me and Dallas relationship a secret before she went home.

When she left it was about time for dinner. I sat by myself across from Olivia and Henry as usual. Momma served us the food and we ate in silence,"Diana." Momma called, i set my fork down and turned my attention to her," Yes mam?" "Me and ya daddy decided to let you off the hook. You've been doin good lately and i can see you're kinda miserable not hangin out with ya friends." My face lit up with joy," Thank the lord." Momma grinned in amusement and we continued eatin.

After dinner, we all got ready for bed; i changed into my night clothes, got into bed and finished reading another book i got from the library.

I've gotten use to Dally comin in here every night so i keep my window slightly open.

As i looked up from my book, Dally was climbin in; i tossed my book and held out my arms to him," Dally!" I cheered quietly. He crawled onto my bed and scooped me up in his arms," I missed ya Texas." He scrunched up his face at the nickname i gave him," Dont call me that." I teasingly smiled," Texas, Texas, Tex-as." He glared at me with a straight face. Without a warning, Dally attacked my neck, gnawin at it causin me to giggle uncontrollably.

I covered my mouth with my hand to shut myself up; he paused what he was doin," What's my name again?" " Texas." He deviously smirked," Wrong answer." He attacked my neck again but held my arms down so i couldnt cover my mouth. I tried hard not to laugh too hard as he basically tickled my neck. Every time i would squirm or try to escape, he would hold me tighter; i finally gave up," Okay... Okay," I heavily breathed tryin to catch my breath," Dally. Your name is Dally."

He pulled away from my neck and smirked," Thats what i thought."

You giggle under your breath," I love you Dallas."

Dally and i were laying down in each others arms, i caressed his chest with my exposed arm," Dally?" " Yeah doll?" " What made you want to go out with me?" I glanced up at him and he stared down at me. He twirled a piece of my curly hair with his finger,"I don't know. I guess when you had that gun pulled out on ya. I never seen a broad do that." I smiled up at him," That's when i knew i had to talk to ya." I brushed my hand against his face," I'm glad you did Texas."


	13. Chapter 13

"Dally are you sure about this?" He glanced at me as if I was crazy," Yeah i'm sure. No one's gonna notice ya, it's late at night." I gave him one last look before putting the hood of my oversized jacket over my head as he drove off to the drive-in.

As he continued to drive, i couldn't help but smile; we were technically goin on a date, which i never knew would happen.

We finally pulled into the drive-in, Dally parked the car in an available parking place and turned to me,"You want anything?" I nodded my head," Yeah, popcorn and a coke." With that he got out of the car and waited in line to get the snacks. As I waited for him to get back, the movie already began and I tuned in immediately.

A moment later, Dally finally came back, he handed me the popcorn,"Thank ya." He took a sip of the coke and place it in the cup holder.

I munched on the popcorn as I stayed glued to the screen. I glanced over at Dally who was already staring at me. I raised my eyebrows confused," Want some?" He continued to look at me," Naa." I shrugged my shoulders and watched the movie.

Suddenly,the car moved a bit, Dally was closer to me; he snaked one arm around my shoulder. Unexpectedly, his lips roughly kissed my neck and made his way up to my jaw. He placed his other hand on my cheek and turned my head towards him as he kissed me hungrily," Dally...I'm tryin' to watch the movie." He wasn't phased by my protest, i nudged him away from me. He stopped for a brief second then came back again, grabbing my hip and nuzzling his head in the crook of my neck, nibbling at it," Dally, stop." "Come on." He whispered into my ear, sending unwanted chills down my spine,"Stop." His hand traveled up my shirt grazing my abdomen," I said Stop!" I shoved him as hard as i could away from me. He glared at me as if i did something wrong," What the hell is your problem?" "I came here to watch a movie Dally, not this." "Everyone else is doing it." "Well i'm not everyone else." He rolled his eyes and leaned against the door of the car.

Meanwhile as i watched the movie, all I could focus on was the huffing' and puffin' comin' from Dally. I turned my head towards him, noticing' the blank expression on his face; I couldn't help but laugh to myself. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, he was fiddling' with the chain around his neck, not payin' me any mind. I grabbed a popcorn from the bag, I was about to place it in my mouth, instead I threw it at Dally. It bounced off his cheek and fell onto the seat. He still didn't pay attention to me, so I kept thrown' them until he finally caught one in his mouth.

I smiled, knowin' that I had caught his attention again. I threw another one, and as I thought, he caught it in his mouth, scootin' closer to me in the process. He was about 5 inches from my face, deviously gazing' at my lips; I tossed another popcorn into his mouth. Like I expected his lips came crashin' into mine. He grabbed ahold of my hips again, without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around his neck, not wantin' him to let go.

This continued for a good while until Dally released his lips from mine," Lets ditch this movie." I nodded my head,"Okay." He started the car and drove us out of there. As he drove, he had one hand on the steer in' wheel and the other on my thigh," Where we goin'?" He glanced at me then back on the road, he shrugged his shoulders. Suddenly, the convertible top was coming down and the wind blew into my face. Dally reached over and pulled the hood of my jacket off of my head. My curly hair flowed with the wind as i threw my arms into the air, yelling' from the top of my lungs. I heard Dally chuckling' to himself, I playfully nudged his arm," You laughin' at me?" He didn't say anything, but glanced at me as he bit his bottom lip.

At that point, he kept driven' till we got to no where. He pulled into a secluded area, where no one could see us. He put the car in park and stared into the night sky," You know I can't be out too late." He pulled me by my arm, so i was closer to him. I hopped into his lap and straddled hi waist. He gripped my hips and I snaked my arms around his neck, my fingers tangled in his hair. I gazed into his icy blue eyes that were already focused on me," I won't be long." I grinned," Oh, I know." I stated sarcastically. He raised his eyebrow," What's that suppose to mean?" I shook my head,"Nothin'." A long mischievous smirk was plastered across his face, as he hungrily kissed my lips.

As the kiss deepened and the atmosphere became more heated, Dally unzipped the zipper of my jacket. His hands skimmed my body as he swiftly removed the jacket from my shoulders and off my arms; tossin' it to the other side of the car. He continued to kiss me, planting kisses on my neck and down to my shoulder," Dally, I told you, I can't stay out too long." "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time." 

* * *

I know, my bad another filler. Don't worry about a thing though.


	14. Chapter 14

"Diana, breakfast is ready," I rubbed my sleepy eyes as i stretched my arms above my head," Hurry now before it gets cold." I popped the aches in my back and yawned," Yes m'am."

I threw the covers off of me as i risen from my bed. I glanced down at the silver band on my left index finger that Dally gave me for my birthday. I twirled it around my finger, before finally getting out of the bed. I went to the mirror that was attached to my dresser, picked up my brush and brushed through my crazy hair.

I walked out of my room and sat at the table with everyone else,"Well goodmornin' to you too Diana." Daddy greeted as i dug into my breakfast; i chewed my food before i spoke,"Goodmornin'." I didn't speak anymore after that, which was weird for me, I'm usually always talkin' about something, whether it'd be the weather or what's going on in the news,"Diana, I heard James Brown is comin' down here." Momma commented, I glanced at her and nodded,"You gonna save up your money and go?" I shrugged my shoulders,"Maybe." I continued eating my food.

After i finished my breakfast, I went back into my room and laid back down. As i laid there i began to fiddle with my ring. I stared at it intently; Dally means everything to me, no matter how crude or careless he could be, I loved him regardless, I just wondered if he felt the same about me. He's been with me this long, it seems evident, but most people just stay in relationships just for the hell of it . Suddenly my door cracked open,"Diana?" I looked up from my ring and glanced up at momma,"Clarice is here." "Okay." She went away from the door and I saw her go back to the front door. Clarice cheerfully paced to my room, she opened the door and closed it behind her,"Girl why are you in bed?" "Are you sad that your little boy ain't here?" She smirked at me. I glared at her and shook my head,"No, i just…I don't know…I question us sometimes." Clarice raised her eyebrow,"Why? Cause y'all two different colors?" I shrugged my shoulders,"Diana, stop being insecure, he loves ya, look at ya, who wouldn't love ya, besides those ignorant bastards."

I smiled shyly at her compliment,"Now come on and get ready so we can cause some havoc." I shook my head at her and laughed. Clarice was really one of my closest friends; even though i only known her for a short period of time, i could tell we were gonna be old friends. I had a friend like her back in Alabama, her name was Denise. She was younger than me, but age didn't matter, she was a good friend otherwise. We had so many good times together before she was taken away from me. The hatred from white people killed her and three other girls at the church in our neighborhood; they were killed at a place of worship and peace, after that tragedy, momma and daddy knew we had to get out of Birmingham.

"Diana, you okay?" I blinked my eyes a couple of times and glanced at Clarice,"Yeah, imma go take a quick shower." I picked out an outfit from my closet and went to the bathroom that me and siblings shared. I quickly washed up and slipped on a floral collared dress with black sheer pantyhose underneath. I brushed my teeth and went back into my room to put on my black church heels, I grabbed my big jacket and we exited my room,"Alright momma i'll be back before dinner." "Don't be out there actin' a fool now." "We won't momma, bye" Clarice and I walked out of our neighborhood and out to the city instead.

"Mm, don't i look like Tina Turner." "More like Don King." I laughed to myself as Clarice glared at me. She reached over and smacked my arm,"Well excuse me .Ross. I don't see you over here..." Before you knew it my mind had wandered out the window and at that moment my eyes had caught a scene i'd never seen before. A group of white guys were fighting across the street; some looked rich as can be and the others looked greasy. I kept staring at the guys, these white guys were fighting their own kind. I could see they had nothing in common, but to go against your own people is ridiculous. As i continued to contemplate, i had figured out that they did have one thing in common, they despised negroes. If i were to walk out there right now, they'd stop fighting and start to give me hell. The only white guys i know that wouldn't hurt me is Dally and Darry.

I'm not really sure on Darry though; he could've been nice to me just because i'm Dally's girl or because he pitied me. I really want to know why he helped me, and the only way to figure that out is to go down there myself and find out.

As my mind escaped it self, Clarice was waving her hand in my face," Hello?Diana?" "Huh?" She examined me to make sure i was okay," Were you havin' a vision or somethin'? You looked like a psychic goin' into a trance." I shook my head and faced her," We should get goin'." "I know," Clarice glanced at her watch,"I have a date with ya brotha." She finally set down that ugly wig and walked out of the store,"Why were you starin' at them white guys? Was one of them the boy you with?" I shook my head,"No it's just crazy how they were fighting each other." "Yeah i know, they'd usually be terrorizin' us. But i'm glad they're fightin', it kinda gives us negroes a break." "Barely."

We walked out of the city and stopped at a near by neighborhood that was close to ours,"I'll see ya later Diana." Clarice wrapped her arms around me and I did the same,"Bye Clarice." We let go of each other and went our separate ways.

As i continued to walk, i began to worry about my safety, it was broad daylight and people can see me. I didn't want the events that happened last time to reoccur again. I placed my hands into my jacket pockets and sang to myself. It's the only method to keep me relaxed,"The moment I wake up, before i put on my makeup; I say a little prayer for you. While combing my hair, now, and wondering what dress to wear, now, I say a little prayer for you." As i kept walkin', my hands were shakin' and my voice was tremblin'. As I neared the fence, i quietly opened it and closed it back gently; I steadily walked up the stairs to the house and stopped at the door.

My heart beat began to race and my hands were still shaking; i pulled up my hand and gently knocked on the door. I immediately retrieved my hand and put them behind my back. The door quickly flew open, but instead of Darry being there it was some other boy way smaller and a little familiar. He was skinny and little taller than me,his light brown hair was greased back and his blue eyes were starin' directly at me as if he knew me too," Can i come in?" He scratched the back of his head,"Uh yeah?" He stepped away from the door and i hesitantly stepped inside.

Once again, my heart was beating out of control. Alot of white guys were in here; a little chubby one was on the couch with a beer in his hand, a more tan one with black hair was starin' at me as if i were a ghost. Two more guys were sitting at a table playin' cards, but their focus was unfortunately on me. I took a look at them; one of them was actually really cute with his brown suave hair and pretty eyes. The other one had black greasy slicked back hair and muscles that were protrudin' from his shirt. The way he was lookin' at me was terrifying, like i had intruded or stole something from him.

I turned away from his intimidatin' stare and glanced at the boy who invited me in,"I take it that Darry isn't here?" The ones i was facin' were inspectin' me, especially the tan one; the slender boy shook his head,"No he isn't." "Hey aren't you the crazy girl who had the gun pulled out on ya at the diner?" The one with the beer in his hand questioned; i nodded my head. "Why do you wanna see Darry? I never seen him hangin' around any negroes." The pretty boy asked shockingly, I glanced at him and he was starin' at me intently, I swallowed the lump in my throat. Being here was makin' me more uncomfortable each second. These were Dally's friends and their opinion about me would definitely effect him if they knew we were together. I had to get out of here,"Um I'm gonna go." I backed up from where i was standin', almost near the door.

Suddenly, someone barged through the door, which caused me to jump in surprise; i turned around and my eyes grew wide,"Diana!? What are you doin' here!?" I was choked on my words,"Dally, you datin' her?" One of them asked, i wasn't payin attention, i was just focused on Dally who was glarin at me. Without a warnin, the boy with the black hair and muscles got up from his seat,"Are you out of your mind, datin someone like her," He glared at Dally then me,"You're better off datin a soc than her." I glanced at him and back at Dally who was just standin there; his jaw was clenched and his fists were balled up,"What you doin with that nigger?" I grabbed the sleeves of my jacket to keep myself from lashin out, Dally was still just standin there, my eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

I scanned around the room, all the boys were shocked at what was goin on. I glanced at Dally one more time before pushin by him and stormed out of the house. I grabbed the fence door and swung it open, I was about to keep walkin until my wrist was firmly gripped and turned me around,"Diana listen-" i yanked my wrist from Dally's grip," What do you want from me Dallas!? Huh? What's the point of being with me!?," He stared into my eyes not saying a word,"Cause I'm tired of this. I'm tired of everything! I do nothing to these people, and they judge me as if I'm the bad guy!" Dally combed back his hair in frustration,"I'm tired of being hated for nothin', I'm tired of being silent, and I'm tired of hidin' for the sake of your street creditability!," I slipped off the jacket and threw it at him with all the strength I had,"So you can take this jacket!" Tears were welling up in my eyes and my heart was beating out of my chest, I grabbed my left hand and gazed at the ring on my finger,"I love you too much Dally…But it's best that we stick to our own kind."

I swirled the ring off my finger and squeezed it in my hand. Tears began to spill from my eyes. It's hard to feel beautiful or loved, when a world you live in is segregated by the color of your skin. But when I met him, everything changed. Changed for the better and for the worst, but as much as I want him, I need to let him go for the both of us,"Diana.." I gazed into his eyes one last time and threw the ring at him as i ran away from there for good.


	15. Chapter 15

*Dally's Point of View*

I squeezed her ring tight in my hand as her figure began to fade in the distance. I heard the guys come out of the house but I didn't pay them any mind, I was still starin' off in the distance, wantin' so badly to go after her,"Dally man, we didn't mean to run her off." I heard Johnny say behind me,"I did-" Steve interrupted,"It was for his own good, don't need to be with someone like her anyway." I turned my head slightly in his direction, I glared into his soul hatin' him more and more. I never did like him, and this just proved why I didn't even more. Suddenly, he began to chuckle to himself,"I knew you were reckless but this-" Without a warning, I grabbed ahold of his shirt collar,"You should shut your fuckin' mouth before I do it for ya." Pony and Johnny grabbed ahold of my arms and tried to pull me back from him. I wanted to bash his face in, but doing that wouldn't get Diana back. I shook them off of me and stepped away from Steve,"Back off." I brushed back my hair from my face, I grabbed the jacket from the ground and walked away from the Curtis house.

*Diana's Point of View*

I ran all the way home with tears streamin' down my face like a waterfall. Despite what just happened, i'm already missin' Dally.

Before i ran up the stairs to my house, i wiped away the tears on my face. I opened the front door and immediately rushed to my room, lockin' the door shut behind me.

I took off my shoes and laid down on my stomach on top of the bed. I stared at the picture of Malcolm X i had on the wall next to my portrait. While I laid there, my mind couldn't grasp on what just happened a moment ago. Dally didnt stick up for me or anything, whether it was just his friends or just strangers, he was suppose to help me or even better; actually have my back. When i needed him the most he just stood there like a lump on a log. At that moment I knew I couldn't be with him anymore, cause if we were, I would be sittin' somewhere questioning if he'll stick up for me next time or just leave me hangin' like clothes on a clothes line.

Suddenly, my room door crept open and I turned my attention towards it,"Diana? You alright sweetheart?" Momma asked as she crept slowly into my room. I glanced at her and down at my bare left hand,"Yeah. I'm just thinkin' that's all." "You look like you've been cryin', what's wrong bab-" "Momma i'm okay, I just want to be alone." Momma's eyes were filled with so much concern that I had to turn away," If you need to talk just let me know." "Okay." I laid there quiet starring at the wall until i heard her close the door. At that moment, i couldn't hold in the tears any longer; I didn't want to leave from Dally, but it was what we both needed.

*Clarice's Point of View*

Lisa, Cheryl and I sat on my porch step waiting for the usual late Diana. I don't care if she moved here almost less than a year ago that girl is never on time. And on que she was walking towards us,"Diana, you finally got here. We were starting to think you got kidnapped or something." Her head was still down as she approached us, her arms were tightly wrapped around her brown satchel that she had pulled up to her chest. She steadily lifted her head up and shyly smirked,"Sorry y'all." "What happened? Look like you've been cryin'?" Lisa questioned. Diana sadly smiled and shrugged her shoulders,"It's nothin' I'm just moody from my period, y'all know the feelin'." Something was tellin' me that she was lyin', but i didn't want to push her to let it out, so i kept quiet,"Well in that case, let's stop standin' and catch the bus before it leaves us." Cheryl stated.

During class, Diana was not herself, she was distant and didn't speak to anyone unless she was spoken to. It bothered me because my best friend could be hurt and I wouldn't know about it. Once lunch rolled around, i took my chance and grabbed her from the group. I took ahold of her hand and took her to the girls restroom. When we got in there, i checked every stall to make sure no one was in here with us,"Diana what is wrong with you?" "I already told you-" I held my hand up to stop her talkin',"Don't you dare, I know you Diana and I don't believe that one bit, now tell me what's really going on." She tucked a strand of her now straightened hair behind her ear and looked away from me," I-I uh. Me a-and. I just.." As slowly as she started, her explanation quickly ended with tears. I instantly wrapped my arms around her and embraced her tightly. She didn't have to say anymore,"It's okay D. You'll be fine, I'll always be here for you okay?" she sniffled into my shoulder and nodded her head,"O-okay."

After i consoled her, I helped her clean her face and we went back to the cafeteria like nothing ever happened. I never seen my fragile Diana like this ever and I didn't like it one bit. If i ever see that boy, i swear he gone be wishin' he was six feet under.


	16. Chapter 16

I sat beside Clarice at the lunch table that we usually occupied. Clarice scooted closer to me and whispered into my ear,"We're goin to town today and we gonna give ya boy a little talkin to." I pulled away from her and furrowed my eyebrow," Clarice no." "Yes we are, I don't care if you come with me or not." "You don't even know what he looks like-" "It don't matter, i'll find him." I rolled my eyes and continued eating my lunch.

As school was gettin closer and closer to ending, i began to worry. I didn't want to see Dally, it was bad enough that i broke it off with him, seein him would make me feel even more bad.

I glanced at the ticking clock and as i expected the bell rang. I packed all my stuff in my satchel and waited outside for Clarice. Lisa and Cheryl came up to me," You waitin for Clarice?" Lisa questioned. I nodded my head,"Y'all goin to town today?" "Yeah, i don't want to go but she's forcin me." "Well try to have fun. Me and Lisa have a project to do and it's due tomorrow." I shook my head and smiled," Well dont let me keep y'all waitin, i'll see ya tomorrow." They waved goodbye and got on the bus.

I looked down at my watch and Clarice finally came out the school. She scurried towards me and grabbed ahold of my arm,"Sorry, Ms. Wallace was talkin my ear off about that stupid essay." "So what she say?" "I don't know and i dont care. Lets go." She dragged me beside her and we walked to the white part of town.

The whole time we were walkin, i couldnt help but become anxious; I haven't seen Dally in a week and i didnt want to see him now," Diana are you listenin to me?" I turned to Clarice and shook my head," Sorry, i just dont want to see him." "Diana you don't have to worry, i'll be the one to set him straight."

As we entered town, everyone's eyes were on us. We always come here, people should be use to us now. We walked along the side walk like it was normal for us. While Clarice was searchin like crazy, i looked up from the ground and regretted my actions. I saw him standin with those familiar two boys, the tan skinned one and the young blonde one with blue eyes. I didnt noticed that i stopped until Clarice called my name,"Girl what ya stoppin for-" Her eyes followed to what i was lookin at and turned to me,"Thats him aint it?" I swallowed the lump in my throat and stayed silent," It's show time-" She was about to storm over there until i grabbed her," Clarice please dont." "He's gonna get what he deserves." "He didn't do nothin." "Exactly." She ripped her arm from my grip and stormed across the street not payin anyone any attention.

*Dally's Point of View*

"Hey you!?" I turned my head towards the person in front of us. Surprisingly, it was a colored girl who looked about my age. She was glarin at all of us especially me," Are you Dallas Winston?" She questioned with so much aggression that it transferred over to me,"Who's askin?" "It don't matter who's askin'. You hurt my friend and i'm not okay with that." "What friend?" The girl rolled her eyes," Don't play dumb Dallas. I aint the only colored girl you've talked to." I knew Diana was behind this as soon as i seen this girl. I just wanted to know what Diana was tellin her about me,"Where is she?" She shrugged her shoulders and glared at me," Why you so worried about her now?" I huffed and pulled back my hair,"Is Diana behind this, is that why you're gettin wise with me right now?" "No she isnt. Actually she didnt want me to do this in the first place."

I glared at her for a quick second until i caught a glimpse of Diana. Her hair was straightened but she looked beautiful as always. She had her head down like the first time i saw her,"If youre thinkin about gettin back with her, you can just erase that idea outtya head right now." I looked away from Diana and back at her friend," Diana isnt a normal girl and she aint one of them rich white girls neither. She's colored and she comes with colored problems that only a real man can handle." My jaw was clenched tight as i balled up my fist," You should have stuck up for her when she needed ya. There aren't too many respectable girls out here and she's the only good girl you'll ever get." She poked her finger at my chest before shoving me back.

Before i could react she had stormed back across the street and over to Diana. I glanced at at her as she took a quick glimpse of me. I shoved my hands into my pockets as i watched her leave with her crazy friend,"You good Dal?" Pony questioned, i nonchalantly glared at the both of them,"Lets get outta here."


End file.
